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June 4 – 5, 2008, Toronto, Canada

The South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (http://www.salc.net) is currently coordinating a project looking at the myriad social, political, and legal issues concerning the practice of forced or non-consensual marriages, particularly as it impacts young people. The Forced Marriages Project consists of about 20 project partners representing community organizations, policy, and social services.

An international symposium will take place in Toronto, Canada on June 4 and June 5, 2008.

They are currently accepting submissions for papers, workshops, or the presentation of personal narratives.

The working definition of forced marriages they are using is:

“Forced marriage is a marriage that takes place without the consent of one or both individuals, i.e. it does not entail free and full consent on the part of at least one of the parties.  In a forced marriage, consent is extracted under duress including but not limited to: fraudulent inducement, violence, physical abuse and (especially in the case of minors) psychological/emotional manipulation.”       

Although all presenters will be financially compensated for their time, they are no longer able to provide travel and accommodation subsidies due to the extended nature of this deadline.

Abstract Deadline (required): February 12, 2008

Final Paper (if abstract accepted): March 25, 2008

Presentations can include:

• Single papers (abstract max of 500 words) 
• Workshops (1 ½ hours in length)
• Personal narratives regarding forced marriage

The conference will focus on the following themes and topics:

Definitions and Legal and Policy Contexts

• Defining forced marriage/non-consensual marriage
• The nature of consent
• Research concerning the practice of forced marriage in Canada and/or involving Canadians
• The causes, practices and outcomes related to forced marriage
• International and transnational legal issues
• Family law issues

The Social Aspect

• Forced marriage and domestic violence
• Forced marriage and the link to child protection
• Social marginalization and forced marriages
• Forced marriage from a health perspective
• Community based responses vs. justice system responses
• Forced marriage from a gender/feminist perspective
• Forced marriage and youth rights
• Issues facing LGBTQ communities and forced marriage
• Forced marriage and disability issues 

Responses

• Research, policy and/or community models used in other jurisdictions
• The role of the education system in prevention and intervention
• Faith based responses

Please direct all inquires to May El-Abdallah, Project Coordinator, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario – may@salc.net or phone 1-416-839-3763

All submissions must be submitted to may@salc.net