Three men have been charged over allegedly facilitating a forced marriage between two teenagers in Western Australia.
The Australian Federal Police allege that the teenagers, one aged between 13 and15, and the other aged 17, wanted to date each other but were told by family members that they could not for cultural reasons – unless they were married.
The three men – two of which are related to the boy and one to the girl – have been hit with one count each of forcing a person into a marriage in aggravation after allegedly facilitating a religious wedding ceremony between the teenagers last year.
The alleged offenders face a maximum sentence of nine years in jail.
The case has been adjourned until August.
Forced marriage can happen under a number of circumstances, including when a person gets married without freely or fully consenting or when a person is coerced, threatened, or deceived into marriage, the AFP said.
It can also happen when the person getting married doesn’t have the capacity to understand the nature and effect of the marriage, the AFP also said.
This is the first time the AFP has charged someone for forced marriage in Western Australia.
Forced marriage became illegal in Australia in 2013.
