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British teen escapes forced marriage

The traumatic experience of a 15-year-old British teenager who was 'sold' by her father highlights the plight of forced marriage victims.

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(AAP)

2 min read

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Updated

Source: SBS, BBC


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A British teenager who was abused after refusing to marry a man in Pakistan has brought to light the numbers of British nationals forced into marriage.

BBC's Newsbeat reports that number as 1,735, where two-thirds invovle people under the age of 18.

The video features a teenage girl who was beaten by her father after she refused to marry a man in Pakistan.

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The girl, 15 at the time, was tricked into flying to Pakistan on what she thought was a holiday, before finding out the plan was for her to marry the 31-year-old man.

She says her father wanted to marry her off so the new husband could come to live in the UK.

"It was just about the money," the girl, who would not be named, admitted.

"He was literally selling me and he was selling my nationality so I could bring the person back.

"I think it would have been £10,000."

After being beaten, cut and locked up, she managed to escape and get help from the British High Commission in the country.

Brittain's Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne of the UK's forced marriage unit said "it's a genuine priority, we want to help people", but he also defended the actions of the British government.

"We try to do what we can," he said. "I am not aware of any other country in the world that does more than Britain in terms of forced marriage."


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