Role models to prevent forced marriages

According to crisis centres and immigrant counsellors, various initiatives and campaigns have met with little or no success when it comes to reducing the number of forced marriages. Therefore, the Ministry of Integration now plans to up its efforts to prevent forced marriages.

- This is a complex problem, with far-ranging ramifications. Therefore, we are now adding new initiatives and expanding some of our existing activities, Ditte Wenzel Pedersen - head of the section for honour-related conflicts and gender equality in the Ministry of Integration - tells daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende.

One of the new initiatives is the establishment of a corps of role models - young men with a thorough knowledge of honour-relations in immigrant communities. They are to tour schools and institutions and talk with young men with immigrant background.

Another initiative is a new type of accommodation centre for couples fleeing honour-related conflicts.

Furthermore, a new study of immigrant families' surveillance of young family members will be launched this spring. The study is supposed to lead to a clearer picture of the extent and type of honour-related conflicts.

Translated by Martin Lamberth