Archive · 21 Sep 2026
British Asian Families Face Pressure Beyond the Wedding Day
Some families spend a lot of time and money preparing for a wedding.
Dr Javed Bashir says they should also prepare couples for everyday married life.
Couples may need to talk about money, jobs, children, relatives and where they will live.
Sometimes family help can become pressure or control.
Government figures show that the Forced Marriage Unit supported 407 cases in 2025.
Many supported people were young, and most were women.
These figures do not show how common forced marriage is in all British Asian communities.
A consensual arranged marriage is different from a forced marriage, and abuse should never be accepted as part of culture.
Dr Javed Bashir argues families often prepare extensively for weddings but insufficiently for married life.
The Office for National Statistics does not publish divorce rates by ethnicity, so claims about British Asian divorce rates cannot be verified from official data.
The Forced Marriage Unit supported 407 cases in 2025; 40 per cent involved victims aged 17 or under and 74 per cent involved women.
Pakistan was linked to 35 per cent of supported cases, followed by Bangladesh at 9 per cent and Afghanistan at 7 per cent.
The commentary calls for discussions about finances, family boundaries, responsibilities and abuse before marriage, while distinguishing forced marriage from consensual arranged marriage.
- Who
- Dr Javed Bashir, British Asian families and couples, the Forced Marriage Unit, and government and ONS data sources are central to the discussion.
- What
- A commentary examines family expectations, wedding spending, marital preparation, forced marriage pressures and abuse, while noting that ethnicity-specific divorce rates are unavailable.
- When
- Dr Javed Bashir's commentary was published on September 20, 2026; the Forced Marriage Unit figures cover 2025.
- Where
- The discussion concerns British Asian families in the United Kingdom, with international links including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
- Why
- The commentary argues that families should prepare couples for married life and protect individuals from coercion, abuse and excessive family control.
Family Tradition and Celebration
Independence and Safeguarding
Role of extended family
Family Tradition and Celebration
Extended family involvement can provide support and is important in many British Asian households.
Independence and Safeguarding
Dr Javed Bashir argues that relatives can become too involved in decisions and disagreements that should belong to the couple.
Wedding spending
Family Tradition and Celebration
Large weddings can be important cultural and religious occasions that bring families and communities together.
Independence and Safeguarding
Bashir warns that excessive spending can leave couples beginning marriage under financial pressure.
Marriage expectations
Family Tradition and Celebration
Family and cultural traditions may shape expectations about relatives, living arrangements and responsibilities.
Independence and Safeguarding
Couples should discuss independence, finances, careers, childcare, boundaries and conflict before marrying, and abuse should not be excused as culture.
- Commentary author
- Dr Javed Bashir, a community leader and educator
- Publication date
- September 20, 2026
- Forced Marriage Unit cases
- 407 cases received tailored support in 2025
- Age breakdown
- 40 per cent of supported victims were aged 17 or under; 30 per cent were aged 18 to 25
- Gender breakdown
- Women accounted for 74 per cent of supported victims
- International links
- Pakistan was linked to 35 per cent of cases, Bangladesh to 9 per cent and Afghanistan to 7 per cent
- Divorce data limitation
- The Office for National Statistics does not receive ethnicity data in the divorce records supplied by HM Courts and Tribunals Service