‘Knowledge is the Key’- Coercive Control Influencing the Continuum Between Arranged and Forced Marriages in Multicultural Communities

Author: Marmo, Marinella; Esmaeili, Hossein; Ibrahim, Nada & Lock-Weir, Lewis

Abstract: This paper examines the significant knowledge gap surrounding forced marriage, particularly among Muslim legal professionals, religious leaders, and the broader community in South Australia, despite its criminalization in 2013. A key concern is the limited understanding of the distinction between arranged and forced marriages, which is increasingly blurred by ongoing socio-cultural coercive control that may gradually erode genuine consent. This ambiguity complicates the identification of coercion and challenges the effectiveness of legal and community responses. Using a mixed qualitative approach, thematic analysis was conducted on data from four focus groups (lawyers, university students, and women’s groups) and five interviews (with Imams and community leaders), comprising a total of 30 participants. A critical finding was the widespread lack of awareness among community leaders, both religious and legal, regarding the legal definition of forced marriage and the (then applicable) Support for Trafficked People Program. This gap has, at times, resulted in well-intentioned but potentially harmful guidance, which undermines community trust. The paper argues for targeted, culturally informed education for community and religious leaders, with clear dissemination of what constitutes valid consent under both Australian and Islamic law. Empowering communities through accessible, accurate information will assist in fostering communities’ collective agency, and which in turn, results in a more effective, sustainable and preventive alternative to reactive, punitive approaches that risk alienating multicultural communities and perpetuating the hidden nature of forced marriage.

Keywords: agency, arranged marriage, Australia, coercive control, consent, forced marriage, multicultural communities, Muslim community