Belgium: Law against forced marriages

A new bill in Belgium will sentence a person who forces another to get married (either by force or by threat) to anything between a month and two years in prison as well as a fine of 100 to 500 euro. Attempts to conclude such marriages will be punished with 15 days to a year in prison and a fine of 50-250 euro.

The law differentiates between forced marriages and arranged marriages. A forced marriage is one in which at least one of the parties does not agree to the marriage, or in which that agreement has been gotten by force.

The law recognizes that it might be hard sometimes to determine whether the marriage is forced or arranged.

Source: De Standaard (Dutch)

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