Understanding and Fighting Forced Conjugalities: an Opportunity to Bring Together Feminist, LGBTQI+ and Anti-Racist Agendas

In Portugal (PT), the issue of forced marriages (FM) entered the public/political agenda, especially since the signature/ratification of the Istanbul Convention. In 2015, FM was introduced in the Portuguese penal code (the legislative option, in line with the Convention, chose the narrower definition of the phenomenon, i.e, the pressure exerted before marriage or union comparable to). This Convention was essential to raise, in PT, FM to a social problem. Here, the concern with FM is recent in comparison with other forms of gender-based violence. In relation to FM there was a top-down action in terms of public policy. Little is known in terms of research about the dimension/nature of FM in PT. Similarly to what is happening in other countries, in PT, the understanding of FM as belonging to (an)Other culture (migrant, gipsy) seems to be taking shape. Furthermore, the term harmful traditional practices is often used only to name Female Genital Mutilation (often considered as the more harmful gender-based violence) and FM. In my PHD project (in progress) I use the term forced conjugalites (FC), I discuss the terms “forced”, “constraint” and “consent” and I expand the idea of FC beyond specific communities. I consider coercion exercised before (or at the time of) marriage/or comparable union and situations in which the person is obliged to remain in conjugality. I privilege patriarchy theory, but it is vital that it is theorized in conjunction with other forms of oppression (poverty, racism or immigration policy). An intersectional matrix is essential, since FC could result from the intersection of a summary of factors (reinforcement of social cohesion, group identity and a form of cultural distinction; control of women's virginity/sexual behavior; way of conforming to gender heteronormativity; economic/patrimonial reasons; and/or migration strategy). One of the arguments I am developing is that, in order for the feminist agenda on FC not be captured and exploited in racist and xenophobic discourses (and polls point to an increase in the far-right in PT), FC policy/debate in PT must bring together the feminist, LGBTQI+ and anti-racist agendas altogether. In my PHD project, fieldwork consists, among other actions: analysis of news/court decisions on FC; semi-structured interviews with people from social movements (feminist, anti-racist, LGBTI, children rights) and government agencies. With these actions I will try, for example, to demonstrate how the phenomenon of FM is being constructed in PT; how NGO’s define, what they have been doing in relation to FM, how they evaluate public policy on FM and their suggestions to improve this policy; also, at a time when the (socialist) Portuguese government is preparing the 1st national campaign on child, early and FM it is important to understand what the message will be, the concerns behind it and its main target groups.