Authorities in Berlin are bracing for a spike in forced marriages as schools break for the summer, a period long associated with such cases.
Seyran Ateş, the prominent author and women’s rights advocate, warns that the problem is becoming greater due to mass immigration and the entrenchment of parallel communities within German society.
Ateş expressed concern that hundreds of young people, many of whom are unaware of what awaits them, may be sent abroad to be married against their will. “I fear the numbers will continue to rise,” she told broadcaster RBB, as cited by Junge Freiheit.
She noted that Berlin recorded nearly 500 cases of threatened or completed forced marriage in 2022, and warned that the figure is likely to grow as Germany continues to absorb migrants from Islamic countries with different cultural norms.
“In Germany, we speak of a parallel society of the Muslim community,” Ateş said. Forced marriage, she emphasized, is a mechanism used by “archaic patriarchal societies” to impose religious norms, including the control of female sexuality.
Speaking from her professional experience, Ateş described how often victims are blindsided and powerless, and some are even driven to attempt suicide to escape. Her own experience with the issue turned violent in 1984, when a client of hers was shot during a consultation and she was injured in the attack.
Despite the fact that forced marriage has been a criminal offense in Germany since 2011, fear and family loyalty keep many from coming forward. Ateş believes prevention must begin early: “We need to raise awareness in elementary school. Children have to learn that their parents do not have the right to choose their spouse or dictate who they are allowed to love.”
Officials in Berlin’s Neukölln district are also raising the alarm. A formal statement warned of young people being taken out of the country over the holidays to be married in their parents’ country of origin, sometimes without a clear path to return. “Most of the affected girls and boys grew up in Germany,” the district office noted.
To combat the threat, Neukölln authorities have distributed information to schools, youth centers, and childcare providers ahead of the summer break. The materials include clear instructions on how at-risk individuals can protect themselves: confiding in a trusted adult; leaving behind copies of identification; and carrying essentials such as embassy contacts, cash, and a return ticket. The district also provides downloadable forms to assist with legal recourse and repatriation.
District Mayor Martin Hikel noted, “Forced and early marriages are human rights violations that we do not tolerate. But, we know that they are a reality for Neukölln’s young people.”
