The city court in Drammen sentenced the girl's father to 10 months in jail after he threatened her life and physically abused her. Her brother was sentenced to eight months in prison for similar threats.
Some of the threats had been made in the presence of Norwegian social workers, who had come to the family home to quell violence and recommend that the girl be placed in a shelter. The authorities, not the girl herself, reported the threats to police, who investigated and filed charges.
Monica Lindbeck, who represents the girl, still claims her client is in danger and fears for her life once the father and brother are released. "She's having a very difficult time," Lindbeck told newspaper Aftenposten. "She has lost contact with her family, her culture and her social network. The family believes its Kurdish honor has been destroyed dbecause of this case."
The court ruling was hailed by some portions of Norway's immigrant community that stem from countries where arranged marriages are traditional, but has shocked others. Yousuf Filani, the leader of an immigrant group in Drammen, said he has no doubt the ruling will have a "considerable" effect, and that parents who had planned to force their children into marriage may reconsider.
"Many immigrants continue to view arranged marriages as traditional," he said. "This case has therefore come as a shock."
Rodi Ilgen, leader of a cooperation committee for Kurdish political parties in Norway, supports Norwegian authorities' efforts to ban forced marriages. "We must fight against old and bad traditions about forced marriages," he told Aftenposten. His own son traveled back to Turkey and found a bride on his own. The couple's grown daughter studies in England, and Ilgen said he will support her choice of a spouse.
