A mother in Victoria has been found guilty of forcing her 20-year-old daughter to marry an older man, who subsequently murdered the young woman. Sakina Muhammad Jan faced a trial in the County Court after denying she coerced her daughter into marrying the man from Western Australia in 2019. Ruqia Haidari was killed by her husband Mohamed Ali Halimi two months into their arranged marriage. Prosecutors claimed that Haidari did not want to marry Halimi and accused her mother of handing her over in exchange for a $10,000 dowry. Halimi is currently serving a life sentence in prison in WA, with a minimum of 19 years.
The young woman was perceived to have “lost her value” due to being divorced when her mother attempted to arrange the marriage. After meeting with a matchmaker, Halimi flew from Perth to Shepparton to meet Haidari for the first time. Less than two weeks after that meeting, Haidari was married to Halimi in an Islamic ceremony on a temporary basis. Despite expressing her reluctance to marry Halimi to multiple people, including driving instructors, a teacher, counsellor, and police, the marriage went ahead.
The prosecution alleged that Jan coerced her daughter into the marriage, despite knowing that Haidari did not want to marry Halimi. It was also claimed that Jan accepted a $10,000 dowry in exchange for her daughter’s hand in marriage. Haidari’s reluctance to marry Halimi was evident through her conversations with various individuals, where she expressed her desire to avoid the marriage. However, the marriage proceeded despite her objections, leading to tragic consequences.
Ruqia Haidari’s murder at the hands of her husband Mohamed Ali Halimi highlighted the devastating impact of forced marriages. The case shed light on the coercion and pressure faced by many individuals in forced marriage situations, where their wishes and desires are disregarded by family members. The tragic outcome of Haidari’s marriage underscores the need for greater awareness and prevention efforts to combat forced marriage practices and protect vulnerable individuals from such exploitation.
The case raised serious concerns about the prevalence of forced marriages within certain communities and the need for stronger legal protections against such practices. The tragic death of Ruqia Haidari served as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by individuals who are coerced into marriages against their will. It also underscored the importance of supporting survivors of forced marriages and ensuring that they have access to necessary resources and assistance to rebuild their lives.
The conviction of Sakina Muhammad Jan for her role in forcing her daughter into marriage and the subsequent murder of Ruqia Haidari sent a strong message about the consequences of engaging in such exploitative practices. The tragic outcome of the case highlighted the need for greater awareness and intervention efforts to protect vulnerable individuals from forced marriages and provide support to those who have been subjected to such abuses. The case served as a wake-up call to address the root causes of forced marriages and implement measures to prevent such tragedies from recurring in the future.
