Underage girl promised for marriage in €5,000 arrangement

The Directorate for Child Protection Services identified a case of a forced marriage where an underage girl was wed for €5,000.

“She was not old enough to get married, but her family basically promised to wed her when she was of legal age,” director Steve Libreri from the Directorate for Child Protection Services said.

He was being interviewed by TVM journalist Liam Carter on tonight’s Carter Jirraporta.

Directorate for Child Protection Services director Steve Libreri

Libreri said research by the directorate shows underage women are “sold” in a “promise of wedding” at very young ages.

He also highlighted how individuals involved in the practice are so immersed in their community’s culture, that they find no issue with the arranged marriages. “It is not the first time that youths are conscious of this promise, but are fine with it.”

He also said there are issues when it comes to prosecuting these cases, saying it is only illegal if the marriage is registered, and so proving the case in a court of law can be difficult.

Carter also interviewed researcher Lara Sammut who has carried out studies on Middle-Eastern and North African communities in relation to the practice.

She said research has shown prospective husbands are normally much older than the under-age girls they end up marrying.

Researcher Lara Sammut

Sammut said the practice is not limited to a particular set of cultures or countries, but is normally linked to people who hail from rural areas. “They are used to certain practices, and when they come to Malta end up feeling left out, and in order to fit in, resort to certain practices like child marriages.”

She said there are cases where individuals who come from these regions, are open to Western cultural practices, but end up shunned by their communities for doing so. “They feel they betrayed their country.”

Activist and lawyer Lara Dimitrijevic said the Women’s Rights Foundation has been receiving reports on young girls “disappearing” from classrooms.

She called for the introduction of protocols and measures to prevent young girls from being taken abroad and being forced to get married. “Such protocols would see the police being informed in case children fail to turn up in classrooms.”

Liam Carter also interviewed Imam Atif who was representing the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat community in Malta. Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at, is an Islamic revival or messianic movement originating in Punjab, British India, in the late 19th century.

Liam Carter

He said Islam believes marriage is “sacred”. “Two adults should choose when they get married. Islam does not outline a specific age, but clearly states that it should be carried out between two adults.”

Imam Atif said the women’s consent is crucial, and the religion does not believe in forced marriage. “If the girl is mature enough, and at the age of 14,15, 16, and gives her consent, she can get married.”

But he also insisted that the country’s law reigns supreme, and followers of the religion must respect it.

Imam Bader Zina said it is only a small community in the country which are carrying out the practice, calling for an education campaign so people in these small communities are informed that it is not right.