Children with Disabilities

13.1. Case Study 1

Nina was born blind and at the age of 16 she continued to be incontinent and had no feeling in her fingers or toes. At the time she attended the local school with support from a classroom assistant who assisted children with visual impairment. During a one-to-one session, Nina disclosed to the assistant that she was going to Pakistan to be forced to marry. She explained that she didn’t want to go or get married and she asked for help. The assistant arranged for the local police to meet Nina on her way home. Again, she stated that she didn’t want to get married and she wanted help. The police officer organised for her to be taken to accommodation for young people with disabilities. Nina stayed in the care of the local authority for several months and started to have contact with her family again. Eventually she was persuaded to return home and, despite her earlier protests, agreed to go to Pakistan with them. The police were later notified that she died from “food poisoning” and she was buried in Pakistan. (Source: The Forced Marriage Unit, as cited by Gov.uk, July 2009)