Family Law Blog

Channel 9’s show, Married at First Sight, which aims to marry complete strangers, has caused uproar in parts of the community before it even makes its debut. The show is viewed by some as making a mockery of how relationships are formed, the ways people get to know each other, and decide to stay in a relationship. Advocates highlight that arranged marriages have a lower rate of divorce however the show may not help make the public aware of the reality of how difficult an arranged marriage can be.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises the right to ‘free and full’ consent to a marriage, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) prohibits child marriage. However, every year, it is estimated that 14 million girls under the age of 18 are forced into marriage with little or no say in the union.