Forced Marriage
www.forcedmarriage.net
Often it may be to someone they don’t like; have never met; or because they are lesbian or gay and do not want to marry someone of the opposite sex.
ForcedMarriage.net was set up by the Ethnic Minority Foundation (EMF) – a national charity established in 1999 – to improve the lives of Britain’s minority ethnic and disadvantaged communities. Their aim is to bring about social change and promote prosperity, fairness and understanding.
ForcedMarriage.net aims to provide people at risk and people who have friends who are at risk of forced marriage with helpful information in an easy to read format.
The website had to be designed to be open, welcoming, accessible and non-threatening, and the users had to feel safe while visiting the site.
We developed a style sheet to allow for expandable sections of page content, so that substantial amounts of information can be contained and accessed within one page without ever overloading the user.
Users are encouraged to interact within the website (through polls, for example) and to join online social networks, so that they can comment and share their views on forced marriages and not feel isolated in their situation.
Users are also told how to ‘cover their tracks’ online, to ensure that no traces of having visited ForcedMarriage.net could be found, which might otherwise compromise their safety.
"We are delighted with the work Red Snapper has done for the Ethnic Minority Foundation. Creating a website on the subject of Forced Marriage was a challenge by any standards. But Red Snapper managed to produce a stylish, modern and user-friendly site that has been widely praised by our stakeholders and partners. We were very impressed with Red Snapper's creativity and professionalism throughout and would highly recommend them.” Christina Julios, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Ethnic Minority Foundation
Background
Everyone in Britain, has the right to choose whether to get married and who they want to marry. However, every year, hundreds of young people in Britain, both male and female, and some as young as 12 – 13 are forced into marriage against their will, often by violence and blackmail from their own families and relatives.Often it may be to someone they don’t like; have never met; or because they are lesbian or gay and do not want to marry someone of the opposite sex.
ForcedMarriage.net was set up by the Ethnic Minority Foundation (EMF) – a national charity established in 1999 – to improve the lives of Britain’s minority ethnic and disadvantaged communities. Their aim is to bring about social change and promote prosperity, fairness and understanding.
ForcedMarriage.net aims to provide people at risk and people who have friends who are at risk of forced marriage with helpful information in an easy to read format.
The Challenge
Red Snapper was asked by EMF to design and develop ForcedMarriage.net as a ‘one stop shop’ bringing together practical information, legal advice, links to other relevant sources of advice and help on forced marriage.The website had to be designed to be open, welcoming, accessible and non-threatening, and the users had to feel safe while visiting the site.
Our Solution
Red Snapper’s solution successfully combines non-threatening, approachable design and copy with a structure that guides users through a wealth of information, so that they are made to feel welcome and can easily find the helpful support and information they seek.We developed a style sheet to allow for expandable sections of page content, so that substantial amounts of information can be contained and accessed within one page without ever overloading the user.
Users are encouraged to interact within the website (through polls, for example) and to join online social networks, so that they can comment and share their views on forced marriages and not feel isolated in their situation.
Users are also told how to ‘cover their tracks’ online, to ensure that no traces of having visited ForcedMarriage.net could be found, which might otherwise compromise their safety.
"We are delighted with the work Red Snapper has done for the Ethnic Minority Foundation. Creating a website on the subject of Forced Marriage was a challenge by any standards. But Red Snapper managed to produce a stylish, modern and user-friendly site that has been widely praised by our stakeholders and partners. We were very impressed with Red Snapper's creativity and professionalism throughout and would highly recommend them.” Christina Julios, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Ethnic Minority Foundation
