Originally Posted by
I Push Buttons
This is not nation bashing, this is not religion bashing, this is not race/ethnicity bashing. This is a discussion about cultural norms that harm people and what should or shouldn't be done about them.
Saw this on the documentary subreddit and was just curious what you guys thought about the situation and the tolerance of harmful cultural practices.
TL;DW:
- Over half of British-Pakistanis marry their first cousins, in some areas its as high as 75%. (Also prevalent among British-Bangladeshis and several other much smaller communities/populations.)
- Many are forced into these marriages by their families.
- The likelihood of their children suffering from rare genetic abnormalities/diseases is significantly increased relative to the general population, due to inbreeding.
- 1/3 of children in the UK with a rare genetic diseases are British-Pakistani, despite being only 1.5% of the population (as of a few years ago when the documentary aired).
- The incidence of cousin marriages among these communities has been increasing in recent decades, not decreasing (once again, as of the airing of the documentary).
- Politicians and even health professionals, by and large, refuse to challenge the practice for fear of being accused of racism and ruining their careers.
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Personally I think its a bit crazy that this is tolerated to such a degree, especially given the UK's universal healthcare system and pretty robust safety nets, since its the state/tax payers that bear all the financial responsibility for this harmful cultural practice. Not to mention the miserable and debilitating lives these kids are condemned to live... So even if money was no object, which it most certainly is, the practice should still be ended, in my opinion.
What is your opinion? Whether on this or other harmful cultural practices in general?