Women facing forced marriages find a saviour
Mary Jordan; 28/6/08
Helen Rawlins climbed into her Toyota Land Cruiser at 7.30am, off to rescue another woman. As the baking bustle of the Pakistani countryside whizzed by, the British diplomat knew a tense confrontation awaited. Lately, she had been making a trip such as this once a week — to help British women of Pakistani descent lured to this country and forced, sometimes at gunpoint, into marriage. The British Government views forced marriages as a human rights abuse, far different from arranged marriages to which bride and groom consent. It is Ms Rawlins’ job to stop them. On this June day, the victim was 21. After exchanging clandestine text messages and calls, Ms Rawlins was on her way to rescue her.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/world/women-facing-forced-marriages-find-a-saviour-20080627-2y49.html