The vast majority of those forced into marriage came from immigrant families, but a third of the women and girls were born in Germany, according to the results of a new study released this week by the Federal Ministry for Family, Elderly, Women and Youth. But the country from which the largest share of victims came was Turkey, outpacing Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nearly 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany, comprising the country's largest non-German ethnic group.
According to the most recent statistics, 3,443 people sought help at counseling and information centers because they found themselves to be victims of forced marriages. Most of those forced into marriage were young women or girls. Almost a third of these victims were 17 years old or younger, and another 40 percent were between the ages of 18 and 21.
Terre des Femmes, a German human rights organization, had earlier estimated that more than 1,000 victims from immigrant families seek help from counseling centers each year across the country.
One-third of the victims were threatened with death if they did not agree to the forced marriage, according to the study. Of the victims of forced marriage, 83.4 percent come from Muslim households.
Many of the women and young girls reported suffering from extreme violence, and 27 percent were threatened with weapons or with death.
A law that calls for up to five years of imprisonment for anyone who forces another into marriage went into effect last year in Germany.
