Belgium is making forced marriages a punishable offense and such marriages will also be annulled. The parliament approved the law proposal Thursday evening.
Belgium is the second country, after Norway, to implement such a law. forced marriages are a serious transgression of women's rights, according to Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx.
Whoever forces somebody to marry by violence or threats will soon risk a prison sentence of one month to two years or a fine of 500-2500 euro. A marriage can be annulled whenever there are serious indications that it was concluded under compulsion.
A Belgian study from 1999 shows that about 25% of Turkish and Moroccan women married under coercion.
Source: DVHN (Dutch)
