Girls in Sweden told to hide spoons in underwear to avoid forced marriage
The spoons are intended to trigger metal detectors, alerting airport staff to any girls being flown abroad against their will; a Swedish national hotline received 139 calls last year about child marriage or forced marriage
A Swedish city is advising girls who fear being taken abroad for forced marriage or female genital mutilation (FGM) to tuck a spoon in their underwear before going through airport security.
Airport staff in Gothenburg have been told how to respond in such circumstances, said Katarina Idegard, who is in charge of tackling honour-based violence for Sweden’s second biggest city.
“The spoon will trigger metal detectors when you go through security checks,” she said. “You will be taken aside and you can then talk to staff in private.”
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“It is a last chance to sound the alarm,” Idegard added.
There is no data on the number of girls taken abroad for forced marriage, but Idegard said that a national hotline received 139 calls last year about child marriage or forced marriage.
Activists will encourage other cities to follow Gothenburg’s lead and adopt the spoon initiative, she added.
The idea comes from the British charity Karma Nirvana, which claimed that the tactic had already saved a number of girls in Britain from forced marriage.