Police in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia have intervened to prevent the forced marriage of a 13-year-old-girl belonging to a Muslim immigrant family from Morocco: the case is part of a growing number of forced marriages among Muslim immigrants in Spain.

Police in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia have intervened to prevent the forced marriage of a 13-year-old-girl belonging to a Muslim immigrant family from Morocco. According to Catalan officials, the majority of forced marriages in Catalonia involve Muslim girls from North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. The majority of the cases involve immigrants from Morocco, followed by Pakistan, Gambia, Guinea and Senegal. Marriages are often arranged with a cousin or another family member to continue the tradition, to prevent the Europeanization of the girls, or to pay outstanding debts.

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