The Forced Marriage Initiative joined with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) to host a webinar titled Forced and Child Marriage in Refugee Communities: Recognizing the Problem & Responding to Individuals at Risk. The webinar discussed the reasons behind forced and child marriage, the shape these harms take within refugee communities, how they intersect with other forms of harm, and best practices for identifying and responding to forced and child marriage.

For more, see our Tip Sheet for Refugee Service Providers and reports on Child Marriage in the United States.

Michigan recently became the 10th state to ban child marriage, a milestone victory! In this webinar, Casey Swegman, Director of Public Policy, and Alex Goyette, Public Policy Manager, discuss this significant milestone and Tahirih’s vision for ending child marriage in the next 40 states.

Forced marriages that are threatened or happen abroad can put survivors in especially challenging and dangerous situations. Services may be more difficult to access, and attempting to return to the United States can be difficult and dangerous.

This session will discuss the advanced risk assessment and safety planning required for these cases, the long-term emotional support often required by survivors in a prolonged situation of forced travel, and the interagency coordination required for emergency repatriations.

Hellitz Villegas, FMI Project Manager
Briana Roberts, FMI Project Associate

For more information on how to assist individuals at risk of a forced marriage and safely plan to avoid or prepare for overseas travel, read our tip sheet: Safety Planning for Travel Overseas Tip Sheet .

Forced and child marriage are significant, yet hidden, problems in the United States that impact individuals from every socio-economic status, ethnic and religious background. While there is growing recognition that these forms of abuse are present in the U.S., many survivors and individuals at risk of all ages still struggle to receive the support and services they need to get safe and rebuild their lives on their own terms.

In this webinar FMI staff cover the nature of forced marriage, the connection between forced marriage and other forms of abuse, such as domestic violence and child abuse, and the unique challenges of providing support and safety-planning in these cases.

Hellitz Villegas, FMI Project Manager
Briana Roberts, FMI Project Associate
Casey Carter Swegman, Director of Public Policy

For more information on how forced marriage intersects with other forms of abuse, read our report: The Intersectionality of Forced Marriage and Other Forms of Abuse in the United States.
For comprehensive guidance for service providers who may encounter individuals facing forced marriage, read our A Framework for Identifying and Responding to Cases of Forced Marriage.

Sidonia Cannon, the Forced Marriage Initiative’s 2023 Intern, interviewed Audace Garnett, Safety Net Technology Safety Project Manager at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV).