First Conviction Under Australia's Forced Marriage Laws: Mother Jailed After Daughter's Tragic Murder
July 30, 2024Sakina Muhammad Jan, 48, has been sentenced to three years in prison for forcing her daughter, Ruqia Haidari, into a marriage that tragically ended in murder.
Jan is the first individual in Australia to be sentenced under the country's forced marriage laws, which were introduced in 2013.
She was found guilty of coercing her 21-year-old daughter to marry Mohammad Ali Halimi in late 2019, despite Haidari's objections.
The forced marriage occurred in August 2019, and Halimi later murdered Haidari five months after the marriage.
Halimi is currently serving a life sentence for Haidari's murder, having acknowledged that he knew she was pressured into the marriage.
As a permanent resident, Jan faces potential deportation to Afghanistan, which poses significant risks for her as a Hazara woman.
Jan will serve 12 months in custody before being eligible for release on a recognisance order, after which she may face deportation.
Jan's actions were driven by a desire to restore her family's reputation following Haidari's first arranged marriage, which ended in divorce.
The trial revealed that Haidari had been forced into an unofficial religious marriage at 15 and wished to delay marriage to pursue her education.
The court heard that Haidari feared seeking help from others due to concerns about her mother's reaction to her situation.
Despite the severity of her actions and the consequences, Jan has shown no acceptance of responsibility or remorse for her daughter's death.
Judge Fran Dalziel criticized Jan for abusing her parental authority and ignoring her daughter's wishes, emphasizing that forced marriage is illegal.
Summary based on 6 sources
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Sources
The Guardian • Jul 29, 2024
Ruqia was murdered by the man she was forced to wed. Her mother has now been jailed over the marriageBBC News • Jul 29, 2024
Mum jailed for forcing daughter into fatal marriage in AustraliaNZ Herald • Jul 29, 2024
Afghanistan mother jailed for forcing daughter to marry her killernews.com.au — Australia’s leading news site • Jul 29, 2024
Mum’s court outburst over forced marriage