Supporting Survivors of Forced Marriage

Forced marriage is neither endorsed by any major world religion, nor solely experienced by people from one religious, ethnic or cultural background. This said, it is rooted in patriarchal understandings of women's roles both as individuals and as part of the wider family and community. The global community has committed itself to ending child, early and forced marriage by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, even if this goal is met, there would still be significant numbers of people in the UK living in forced marriages.
The project will explore what enables women to leave a forced marriage, what their experiences are in the years after leaving, and what further in-house services Karma Nirvana could consider providing for victims/survivors.
This will be a mixed-methods project, consisting of:
1. a literature review (of academic and 'grey' literature); mapping of existing support services and analysis of existing policy in the UK;
2. analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from Karma Nirvana's helpline to establish what help callers are seeking (e.g. practical, emotional, informational, etc.)
3. semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including victims/survivors, to identify factors which support safe exit from forced marriage and re-establishment of a life outside marriage.
As well as completing a PhD, we anticipate that the successful applicant will work with Karma Nirvana to co-design future in-house provision of support and training materials.