Kenya: The prevalence of forced marriages among the Ismaeli community; whether certain groups of women within the community are subject to forced marriage and, if so, the state protection available to women who refuse such a forced marriage (July 2005)
| Publisher | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 13 July 2005 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KEN100315.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kenya: The prevalence of forced marriages among the Ismaeli community; whether certain groups of women within the community are subject to forced marriage and, if so, the state protection available to women who refuse such a forced marriage (July 2005) , 13 July 2005, KEN100315.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/440ed71819.html [accessed 25 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Specific information on forced marriages among the Ismaeli (Ismailia) community could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, referring to Kenya in general, the 2005 annual report published by Amnesty International indicated that "women and girls were [...] subjected to domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, including of young children, incest, forced marriages and female genital mutilation." Country Reports 2004 also stated that forced marriages were common in Kenya (28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 5).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Amnesty International (AI). 2005. Amnesty International Report 2005.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004. 28 February 2005. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources:
A coordinator at the Coalition on Violence Against Women-Kenya (COVAW) stated that she did not have any specific information on the requested topic.
The Executive Director of Womankind Kenya (WOKIKE) and the office of the Pokot Kiletat Women Group did not respond to requests for information within time constraints.
Publications: Africa Confidential, Resource Centre country file.
Websites, including: AllAfrica, Amnesty International, BBC Africa, Daily Nation, East Africa, Famafrique, IRIN, Kenya Times, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UNICEF, Wikipedia, Womensenews, Women, Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF/FeDDAF), Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML).
