Aisha was engaged by the time she was 13. Within three years she'd taken her parents to court to escape a forced marriage
ABCAisha remembers the precise moment her mum introduced her to the distant relative she was going to marry. Forced marriage support services: My Blue Sky: 9514 8115 Sisters of Charity Foundation: 02 9367 1211 Australian Federal Police: 131 237 In an emergency call triple zero Aisha's parents are deeply traditional Muslims from India and made plans for Aisha to live the same way. "Growing up, it was always like, oh, you're going to get married one day and you're going to provide for your husband," Aisha said. The extent of forced marriage in Australia Forced marriage became a crime in Australia in 2013, just two months after Aisha took her parents to court and won. "If they see a friend who's suddenly announcing they're getting married to someone they've never heard of before, or they're afraid of something bad happening if they don't get married, or if they seem to be controlled and constantly watched by their family … These are sort of common things that can be indicative of a forced marriage situation," she said.
History of this topic
Migrant women call for education and awareness of forced marriage in Australia
ABC
An Afghan mother forced her daughter into marriage. Six weeks later the 21-year-old ended up dead
The Independent
Federal police fear hike in child forced marriage cases as overseas travel restrictions lift
ABC
Why victims aren't coming forward about forced marriages
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