Maarib Al Hishmawi (FBI)Sometime in mid-2017, Maarib Al Hishmawi’s parents told her they had found a man for her to marry. They choked her “almost to the point of unconsciousness.” They threw hot oil on her. On Friday, authorities announced that her parents — Abdulah Fahmi Al Hishmawi, 34, and Hamdiyah Sabah Al Hishmawi, 33 — were arrested and charged with continuous abuse of a family member. Marriage is an agreement between two people, and, in some cultures, an arranged marriage can include significant input from family members. But anything that is “characterized by coercion, where individuals are forced to marry against their will, under duress and/or without full, free and informed consent from both parties,” is not arranged marriage, it’s forced marriage, according to the Canada-based South Asian Women’s Centre (SAWC).

Source: Washington Post March 25, 2018 21:03 UTC