Young woman rescued from forced marriage in Spain

Madrid – AFP – Spanish police announced the repatriation of a young woman who was forced into marriage with a relative in Pakistan, as investigations continue to identify all those involved following the arrest of two family members.

The young woman, from Barcelona, traveled to Pakistan in September 2025 after a family member informed her that her relatives had finally approved her relationship with a Pakistani man who owns a computer store in Barcelona.

According to police, she was accompanied by her uncle. However, upon arrival, several relatives reportedly confiscated her Spanish passport and detained her in the family home, where she was forced to marry one of her cousins despite her refusal.

Prior to this, she was attacked with a knife in Barcelona by two men believed to be linked to the case.

Spanish police, in coordination with the Spanish embassy in Pakistan, located the young woman, provided her with protection, and repatriated her to Spain, where she received specialized medical care.

Two men, aged 41 and 45, were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage, according to a statement issued by the Catalonia regional police. They were detained on July 21 at Barcelona airport.

Barcelona has a large Pakistani community, with more than 26,000 registered Pakistani citizens in the city, making them the third-largest foreign community after Italians and Colombians.