West Yorkshire again

[Imnobody4]

West Yorkshire has 'country's highest number of recorded child marriages', report by Leeds honour abuse charity Karma Nirvana claimsMore than a third of alleged child marriages in the UK were reported to police in West Yorkshire, according to a local charity.

www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/crime/west-yorkshire-has-countrys-highest-number-recorded-child-marriages-report-leeds-honour-abuse-charity-karma-nirvana-claims-3060390

It's about time the gov took action on banning marriage under 18. This has been called for since about 2012.

Shocking yes and reported in local media for a long time, as are the many ongoing CSA court cases, but I wouldn't build your hopes up for many replies here, sadly. The horrors of what's happening to girls and young women in West and South Yorkshire gets tumbleweeds

*CSE

That’s an odd thing to say Flax.

It would be interesting to find out how good the police are at prosecuting these crimes or are there the same difficulties as experienced in the Rotherham scandal putting racial/cultural sensitivities ahead of the safety of (mainly) girls.

It dies seem that being a Stonewall champion corresponds with a worrying lack of effectiveness from the police.

How do the Police become aware of these marriages? Are they happening in the UK or abroad?

I didn't read the whole article, as you had to register, but looking at the news headline it seemed they are happening in the UK, is that right OP? I'll register when I have more time and read the whole thing.

Poor children shocking..should not be happening. Not in 2020. They cab track yiundown for parking tickets amd tweets but somehow miss kids being married off..

Unless I misread that article it's using child marriage to describe legal marriages of 16 and 17 year olds. So the police won't investigate. I guess they are pushing for a change in the law.

It is my understanding (from family/friends working in schools/local government) that it is a combination of girls being taken out of the UK to visit family, then forcibly married to a "cousin", or girls being coerced into marrying within the social/family circle already living locally. There is indeed a huge element of tolerating cultural differences.
The incidence of genetic abnormalities due to intermarriage is extremely high in this area.
There was a thread recently about this, with a link to a documentary, Dispatches, I think.

That’s an odd thing to say Flax

What's odd is the lack of discussion on this board about what's happening in the north of England, and been happening for a long time now. I genuinely don't understand it.

It would be interesting to find out how good the police are at prosecuting these crimes or are there the same difficulties as experienced in the Rotherham scandal putting racial/cultural sensitivities ahead of the safety of (mainly) girls.

Well er yes
It's not just Rotherham, the crimes, and court cases, are across the whole region. In some cases police officers have been arrested

It dies seem that being a Stonewall champion corresponds with a worrying lack of effectiveness from the police.

No this is decades old. But the police have now over reacted. I imagine the bobby on the beat is as confused as everyone else. Wave a few rainbow flags around and hope all these rape issues go away I guess

But also It's disappointing that womens groups and feminists continue to ignore it as well

What's odd is the lack of discussion on this board about what's happening in the north of England, and been happening for a long time now. I genuinely don't understand it.

Because any attempt to discuss it, however carefully, is shut down by accusations of racism.

But also It's disappointing that womens groups and feminists continue to ignore it as well

Kinda all connected though isn't it. I mean we need to be abke to identify which children are at risk from this and be abke to name them...

There are lots of threads abkut WYP and their failures

The incidence of genetic abnormalities due to intermarriage is extremely high in this area.

Yes very much so. It's a region where leading medical research is being done.

Some families have many generations of cousin marriage. For example someone having four Grt Grandparents instead of the usual eight, and even further back

Back to the article, it's very confusing. It talks about child marriages being reported to the police. Then it says marriages involving 16-17 year olds are child marriages. Then it says this is different to forced marriage.

I think they need to be clearer, presumably if marriages under the age of 18 are being reported to the police then that must be because they were forced.

Kinda all connected though isn't it. I mean we need to be abke to identify which children are at risk from this and be abke to name them...

But it's the ratio of topics. There are, quite rightly, dozens of topics on the trans debate for example but only one I think on Rotherham/Rochdale etc.

There have been dozens of big court cases in W.Yorks S.Yorks and Grt Manc, dozens of gangs prosecuted, and more about to be prosecuted, but it isn't discussed

There are lots of threads abkut WYP and their failures

Where and are they in relation to what's being discussed here

They are in FWR .

Everything from grooming gangs to their victim blaming posters , think theybgit a mention on the long running Jimmy Saville and Co thread too.

I have seen wyp discussed alot

Because any attempt to discuss it, however carefully, is shut down by accusations of racism.

Probably yes. I've tried to raise what's happening in my county and yes been accused of racism. I'm even worried now of the accusation but I also think it's a class divide as well. This is happening in the north and so some might not have the confidence to discuss it or feel they might be misunderstood or not be articulate enough. Mumsnet and the feminist board is quite middle class and topics can be academic in style. At least, It is to me and so I feel wary. I imagine others from here do too

There have been plenty of threads bemoaning the situation in Holbeck, although they may not always be clear from the title but generally any discussion on prostitution includes an excoriating critique of the situation there, and a fair few criticising WYP.

I think perhaps unless you’re very local to it, one of the issues is that the court cases etc are simply not being reported, so it’s not going to catch anyone’s attention to start a discussion. I’m a little further north but I’ve seen nothing in the national or local media about it.

Obviously, sub judice matters aside, there is a question to be answered about WHY it’s not being reported in the press, why isn’t it a national scandal...

OP thank you for highlighting this issue. I hadn't realised child marriages were such a major issue. What I'd like to know is if there are organisations within the communities who are campaigning about this?

A very long time ago when I was about 19/20, I briefly met a girl of 16 who was engaged to be married to her much older cousin in Pakistan. Her brother used to escort her everywhere and he would listen in on any conversations she was having. I felt truly uncomfortable at the time but I find it chilling now when I look back. I still think about her from time to time. I think if I hadn't been lucky enough to come from a liberal, progressive family, I may have faced a similar situation.

If you don't live in this community/area it is difficult to imagine what it is like. The level of education and integration in some communities has gone backwards at alarming speed in the last 3 generations. My personal view is that this has been encouraged because of a misguided effort by leaders in education, social services, nhs etc to be overly accepting/respectful of "culture" and losing sight of the misogyny and coercive control of women that is on the rise.
The same approach is why there is still a shocking rate of FGM in the UK and virtually no prosecutions.
Hoping this post won't get deleted...

...and when I say that, I'm talking about women from here from all ethnic backgrounds.

Women are so downtrodden here, it's a very deprived region, much more than I think many feminists realise.

grooming gangs

I can't find any topic at all on this or on child marriage

Yes there has been a Holbeck topic but it skirts around the issues and all these issues are related, and to heroin trafficking as well. WY is ground zero for heroin

There is a serious organised crime and money laundering problem in WY and women of course are very much discouraged and pressured from talking about it. It's a frightening place to live and a frightening place to bring up children

West Yorkshire has the highest serious crime rates in the UK

Possibly the most corrupt police and local government in the country.

I wrote a lot more, but deleted it myself.

There was a lot of discussion around all of this a few years ago. I think most of it got deleted.

It's not clear from the title that this thread is about child marriage in the UK.

Do women here think all marriage below the age of 18 should be banned?