International Desk: Compared to all countries in the world, Pakistan has the highest rate of marriage between cousins. But this practice is diminishing day by day among Pakistani expatriates in the UK.

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British-Kashmiri Shagufta Rashid went to UK from Pakistan in 1990. She knew her husband as 'brother' before marriage. But it was very normal in his culture. They had a normal life in the UK with five children.

He said, 'All my children are beautiful, intelligent. When we went to celebrate my daughter's eighteenth birthday, she first mentioned the eye problem.' A few days later, Shagufta's daughter lost her eyesight.

Shagufta said, 'I completely broke down.' Doctors said her daughter may have a disease that develops with age and can lead to lifelong loss of vision. But it didn't happen. After two complicated operations, her daughter is now living in Dubai with thick power glasses. But three decades ago when the complication was diagnosed, Shagufta's neighbors warned her that if she marries a mamato, phupato, cousin or 'cousin' who is a blood relative in the family, the child may develop the disease.

Shagufta's sister Sabiha Hasan is also married to one of their relatives. Sabiha has a child with autism. On the other hand, there are many others in the family, he said, who are married and whose children have some kind of problem.

But, in many cases, even if the physical problems are solved, as a result of such marriages, many of the families have to hear various kinds of bad words, said Sabiha.

What science says

Marriage with closely related siblings is called consanguineous marriage. A study from Bradford, UK looked at infant mortality in Bradford, Birmingham and London. It is said that at least 20 to 40 percent of deaths may be due to consanguineous marriage and other genetic factors.

Birmingham City Hospital Dr. According to Shabi Ahmed, serious genetic disorders can occur in cases of consanguineous marriage. He said, 'Not only British Pakistanis or Kashmiris, but also among Arabs and other regions whose cultures have such marriages.'

That is why the reluctance of young people

In various regions of South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, there is a custom of marriage, which in English is called 'second cousin'. A total of 10 to 15 percent of newborns in the world are parents of 'second cousins'.

Data from 13,500 families between 2007 and 2011 revealed that 60 percent of Pakistani couples are 'cousins'. But if both couples were born in the UK, the marriage rate drops to 30 per cent.

When this survey is conducted again from 2016 to 2020, it can be seen that the overall figure has also decreased from 60 to 40 percent.

But technology and an open environment are changing this situation, said both Shagufta and Sabiha. "British children are very health conscious because they discuss everything on social media all the time," says Shagufta.

A British Pakistani woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that in her opinion, decisions like marriage should be taken on her own rather than pressured by family. He said, 'Despite family pressure, my son agreed to marry his cousin. But I was there for him, even though my family wasn't with me. We have to understand that there are health risks as a result of such marriages.'

Something all girls need but don't get

However, according to Bradford-based social worker Binash Faris, while the overall trend is downward, religious marriages are still taking place in families or among young people who are more religiously inclined.

Source: Deutsche Welle.