The National Police have arrested a man who intended to forcefully marry his daughter to her cousin who is in Pakistan. The woman had taken refuge with her sentimental partner in an association in Barcelona for fear of reprisals from her father. The arrested person is accused of a crime of trafficking in human beings for the purpose of forced marriage, favoring irregular immigration and documentary falsification. The arrest occurred on May 21 when the father landed on a flight from Pakistan. Justice released him but issued a restraining order with respect to his wife, two of his daughters and the partner of one of them. The Barcelona Urban Police also participated in the operation.
The events occurred in August 2021 when the young woman’s family traveled to Pakistan to attend the wedding of one of the daughters with her cousin, in another forced marriage. The victim attended the celebration, forced by her father, but once there she discovered that she had been deceived. Her father intended to marry her, too, to one of her cousins, much older than her. The argument was that the link had been previously arranged between the two families. The woman refused and was brutally assaulted. “Extreme violence was used against her that caused her serious injuries,” police said.
Women who refuse to enter into pre-arranged marriages are accused of sullying the honor and dignity of the family name. In the aggression there were third parties who intervened and prevented greater evils. Even so, the injuries were so severe that they prevented him from formalizing the marriage proceedings. However, her parent used an allegedly false certificate to initiate the steps to obtain the residence and work permit for her nephew with the intention of traveling to Barcelona to live with her daughter. The procedures began last March.
The woman went to the Pakistani Women’s Cultural, Educational and Social Association of Barcelona to ask for help in the face of her father’s intentions. The entity that receives multiple similar cases helped her hide and provided her with a home while the Police investigated the matter. Together with her, her current partner with whom he married voluntarily and consented on March 15 took refuge. According to RTVE, the Mossos attended 15 adolescents last year for this reason so far in 2023 there have been three women assisted.
