stories

I felt that I had no option. Once they had taken me out of the country there was nothing I could do. I had no

So many lives have been ruined by my forced marriage. I don’t talk to my family – I miss my brother and sisters, but most

Although I am gay, I wasn’t really ‘out’ for a long time. I felt ashamed that as a man I was being forced into a

People don’t realise that men can also find themselves in this situation. I don’t know if I could have told anyone even if I’d had

I was under a lot of pressure to do the ‘right thing’. My mother and my family used my faith against me – they knew

My parents took me back home, saying they wanted me to learn more about our culture and to experience life there. I had no idea

My father found out that I had a boyfriend and that changed everything in our family. He literally kept me prisoner in the house, wouldn’t

My family were shocked and very angry when they found out I was gay. They were violent towards me and called me names. My mother

Many families believe that they can only be ‘honourable’ if their children marry into a particular family or community. They make arrangements for who their