Neelam Farooq, British High Commission Consular Assistance team on Forced Marriages

Neelam Farooq

Senior Consular Officer at British High Commission, Consular Assistance team on Forced Marriages

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8th December 2015 Islamabad, Pakistan

Neelam Farooq, British High Commission Consular Assistance team on Forced Marriages

by Neelam Farooq

Senior Consular Officer at British High Commission, Consular Assistance team on Forced Marriages

Forced Marriage – You have the right to choose

More than one third of all Forced Marriage cases reported to the Forced Marriage Unit in London are linked to Pakistan. This is four times more than any other country in the world. Last year, 82 cases of Forced Marriage were reported to my Consular Assistance team in Islamabad only. This year, we have offered […]

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About Neelam Farooq

I have been working as a Senior Consular Officer for past eight years. I have worked on the issues of Forced Marriage and Domestic Violence. My job involves dealing with…

I have been working as a Senior Consular Officer for past eight years. I have worked on the issues of Forced Marriage and Domestic Violence. My job involves dealing with young British nationals who have faced abuse and violence at the hands of their closed ones, for them we are the only hope. It can be very challenging to deal with these victims because they find it really hard to open up and talk about their experience. We work closely with our local NGO partners they offer both shelter and Psychological services to these victims.

My job has given me a chance to travel to far flung areas of Pakistan and interact with the local communities on sensitive issues. It has helped me in understanding the reasons behind the cultural practices of forced marriage and made me realise how deeply it is embedded in the society. It gave me a chance to make the communities aware that Forced Marriage is an issue that can lead to devastating results and it can actually breakdown the families instead of bringing them together as it is believed to be the main intent behind them.

I thoroughly enjoy working for Assistance unit (British High Commission) as every day is different and comes with new challenges.

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