Navigating an Unclear Terrain: Challenges in Recognizing, Naming, and Accessing Services for "Forced Marriage"

• NCJ Number: 253920
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 25 Issue: 9 Dated: 2019 Pages: 1138-1159
• Author(s): Hanna Love; Meredith Dank; Sino Esthappan; Janine Zweig
• Date Published: 2019
• Length: 22 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2013-VA-CX-0033
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: Exploratory Research into the Intersection of Forced Marriage, Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence

Annotation

Since forced marriage is poorly understood in the United States, this study is one of the first to examine the practice domestically, with a focus on service provision.

Abstract

Using interviews with those who have experienced forced marriage and relevant stakeholders, this study identified challenges in recognizing, naming, and disclosing forced marriage. Findings indicate that people are unaware that forced marriage services exist, face barriers to disclosing, may not identify with the term, and are reluctant to seek services. This indicates the need for training, consistent organizational definitions, inclusive terminology, programming aimed at root causes, standardized identification methods, and cultural competency. (publisher abstract modified)