Against forced marriages Women should raise the alarm with a spoon trick
A trend is going viral on TikTok that aims to help young women prevent a forced marriage. All they need is a conventional metal spoon.
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- The spoon trick trend is going viral on TikTok.
- It is a guide for women who are lured abroad to be forced into marriage.
- They are told to hide a spoon in their clothes to attract attention at the airport security check and raise the alarm with airport staff.
Trends are always going viral on TikTok. Whether it's make-up modeled on a hippopotamus or mouth taping to avoid snoring, influencers share their everyday knowledge with other users on the platform.
Travel tips always go viral during the vacation season. One of these is aimed primarily at young women and could save their lives: the spoon trick.
Women traveling abroad with their families to be forced into marriage or genital mutilation are told to hide a metal spoon in their clothes.
Why a spoon? The utensil is harmless and poses no danger at the airport. However, the spoon is enough to set off the alarm at the security checkpoint. During the personal search by airport staff, the women have the opportunity to speak to the authorities.
Trick known for some time
According to SRF, the spoon trick has been known since 2013 and was invented by the British human rights organization Karma Nirvana, which was founded by Jasvinder Sanghera, a British woman with Indian roots.
Sanghera broke her silence after she witnessed her classmates returning from a trip to India with a wedding ring. She wants to use the spoon trick to help those affected by trafficking abroad.
As Anu Sivaganesan from the Forced Marriage Office told SRF, forced marriage is also a widespread phenomenon in Switzerland. The lawyer has been advising affected women for several years.
Women are lured abroad and forced into marriage
Those affected seek help from the specialist center, especially during the vacation season. Girls or women are lured abroad by their families on vacation or on the pretext of family incidents and forced into marriage.
Sivaganesan is also familiar with the spoon trick. She believes it is important that airport staff are made aware of this so that the victims are taken to a separate room so that family members do not notice.
According to Sivaganesan, the spoon trick is used less in Europe because most of those affected seek help from the relevant specialist agencies before traveling. The spoon trick is the last cry for help.