I’m afraid I’ll be forced into marriage

Question

I’m afraid that I’ll soon be forced into getting married and I don’t want to. What can I do?

Answer

It is a serious matter that you fear you will be forced into marriage. You need to talk to someone about this. Forcing someone to get married is a criminal offence in Sweden. No one can force you to do this. Not your parents, your siblings, relatives, friends or anyone else.

I think you should talk to someone at a Youth Guidance Centre (ungdomsmottagning) about your fear of being forced into marriage. You can talk to the school nurse or school counsellor if you are at school. They can help you. There are organisations that work with matters like this and they can help you.

You can get help from social services (socialtjänsten) or the police if you need immediate help. Look up the number for the social services office in your municipality. The phone number to the police is 114 14. If you want to call the Swedish police from another country, the phone number is +46 77 114 14.