arranged marriage news stories on Newser

Teen Couple Leap to Deaths After Her Forced Marriage

Rob Quinn — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:14:00 CST

A love affair between two teens in Bangladesh ended in tragedy after the 16-year-old girl's family married her off to a man twice her age. The girl and her 17-year-old boyfriend tied their hands together with a scarf and jumped to their deaths from a mobile phone tower, the Daily...

Woman Sues Over Oklahoma 'Slave Marriage'

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:31:00 CST

An Indian woman is suing her in-laws for an arranged "slave marriage" in their Oklahoma home. Diptiben Mistry was a 20-year-old college student in India when she married her Indian husband four years ago and moved with him to live at her in-laws' US home. There, Mistry says, her food...

Indian Town Outlaws Cell Phones for Single Women

Kevin Spak — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:43:05 CST

A council in northern India has forbidden all unmarried women from carrying cell phones, in an effort to prevent them from eloping with people of different castes. At least 23 young couples ran off and got married without their parents’ consent last year in Uttar Pradesh state, the AFP explains....

Thousands Marry in Mass Moonie Wedding

Jason Farago — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:19:00 CDT

He is nearly 90 years old, but Sun Myung Moon—cult leader, Washington Times founder, self-proclaimed Messiah—can still draw a crowd. The leader of the Unification Church led a mass wedding for some 40,000 people outside of Seoul today, on the campus of, yes, Sun Moon University. It...

Indians Arrange Marriages Via Reality TV

Kevin Spak — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:43:08 CDT

In the distant past, Indian parents arranged marriages with the help of relations and local priests. These days, they’re turning to Rupert Murdoch. News Corp’s Star TV has launched a daily reality show called Star Vivaah , or Star Weddings , a kind of video personals for prospective brides, grooms, and, of...

Saudi Child Bride's Marriage Annulled

Matt Cantor — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:27:00 CDT

The marriage of an eight-year-old Saudi girl to a man in his 50s that drew worldwide attention has been annulled in an out-of-court settlement, the BBC reports. A judge had twice denied the girl—reportedly married off by her father to pay a debt—a divorce. The case has led...

Saudis to Crack Down After Man Weds 8-Year-Old

Matt Cantor — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:54:56 CDT

Amid an uproar over an adult man’s marriage to an 8-year-old girl, Saudi Arabia will begin regulating child marriage, the BBC reports. The country’s justice minister wants to end the “arbitrary” process, he said, though he didn’t say such matches would be banned. A court upheld the marriage provided the...

Saudi Court Blocks Marriage to 8-Year-Old Girl

Rob Quinn — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:08:47 CDT

A Saudi Arabian appeals court has thrown out a ruling upholding an 8-year-old girl's marriage to a 47-year-old man, reports CNN. The marriage—arranged by the girl's father to settle a debt—still stands for now under Saudi law. But the ruling sustains a legal challenge to the marriage by...

Reality Show to Feature Arranged Marriage

Will McCahill — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:37:01 CST

A series following arranged marriages is CBS’ next big reality-TV venture, James Hibberd writes on his Hollywood Reporter blog. The show, from the producers behind Project Runway and Top Chef , will follow four unlucky-in-love singles whose friends and family select a spouse; cameras will then continue to follow the couples...