Forced marriage
Forced marriage
From the Marriage Act:
- Any person who is over 18 years of age, not already married, and lawfully resident in Norway may contract a marriage here.
- Marriages must be entered into voluntarily. Women and men have the same right to freely choose their spouse. The Penal Code states that any person who by violence, deprivation of liberty, pressure or threats forces a person to enter into marriage can be punished by imprisonment for a term of up to six years. Aiding and abetting a forced marriage is punished in the same way.
- Two persons of the opposite or same sex can enter into marriage.
Finding a spouse
Love marriage: The couple who are going marry find each other themselves and decide to get married.
Arranged marriage: The parents or family play an important role in finding a spouse for their children. The children accept their parents’ choice.
Forced marriage: The parents find a spouse for their children and put pressure on them to marry. Forcing anyone to marry is illegal in Norway. Anyone forcing or pressuring someone to marry can be punished by imprisonment for a term of up to six years. Forced marriage is not valid under Norwegian law. Someone who is forced or pressured to marry can therefore go to a Norwegian court and get the marriage annulled. This must be done within five years of the marriage.
Talk together
- Are there clear boundaries between the three different types of marriage?
- Can people define force differently?
Mina is 18 years old. She came to Norway with her parents when she was ten. She has just finished upper secondary school and is looking forward to studying. She has applied to take an engineering programme and is keen to find out whether she has got a place.
She would like to get married and have children at some point in the future. She naturally wants to decide when she gets married and who she gets married to. However, her parents have started talking a lot about marriage. They are talking about a relative in their home country who would be perfect for Mina. Mina is not sleeping well. She respects her parents’ wishes, but also wants to decide over her own life.
- Discuss Mina’s situation.
- How do her parents see the situation?
- What would be the best solution for this family?
Select the right answer
When are you allowed to get married in Norway?
Select the right answer
Who can enter into a marriage?
Select the right answer
What kind of marriage is characterised by the family playing an important role in finding a spouse for their children?
Select right or wrong
Read the statements. What is right? What is wrong?