A leading academic has proposed banning marriages between first cousins as a measure to tackle forced marriages in the UK. Patrick Nash of Oxford’s Pusey House stated that such marriages are prevalent in forced unions and are often linked to obtaining UK immigration visas.
Nash expressed support for a proposed bill by Shadow Minister Richard Holden, which seeks to prohibit first-cousin unions. He cited genetic risks to children and public health concerns as additional reasons for the legislation, according to The Times.
Research indicates that cousin marriages are particularly common in Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, accounting for up to 60 percent of marriages in these groups. However, Prof. Neil Small, a researcher on marriage patterns in Bradford, noted a decline in consanguineous marriages, with rates dropping from 62.4 percent to 46.3 percent in a decade Read More….
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