An arranged marriage is a marriage where the spouses are selected by a third party, usually their parents.

Under the false pretense of arranged marriages, a lot of parents make their children marry someone they don't want to. This is called forced marriage, and it usually happens to young girls. There is a fine line between consent and coercion. Some consent to an arranged marriage because that's the only form of marriage that they've seen or maybe they are too young to fully understand what it means. If both of the parties don't give full consent, the marriage is forced, even if the community says is arranged. Forced marriage can be really dangerous because it can trap a person in a threatening situation where the other party can take advantage of them. Even if it is an arranged marriage, if the partner is abusive, the abused may choose to stay because they feel pressured by their family.

Arranged marriage can happen in situations where adults are pressured to accept an arranged marriage, so their family won't turn their backs to them, especially when their economic situation is bad. A person in an impoverished community can be a burden to their family. People do desperate things in desperate situations because they want to survive and that could mean that the well being of the whole family is more important than the wishes of one person. The person that marries in a wealthy family becomes the provider and all of the responsibility falls on them. If their partner becomes dangerous or the couple is simply unhappy, they are less likely to get a divorce and the wealthier family can pressure the other one in compliance. A lot of arranged marriages take place between families that know each other. Maybe they are business partners or just friends. This traps the couple because if they decide they want a divorce, the family ties will be severed and that could potentially damage both of the companies or destroy other relationships between the two families. This shows us how easily it can go from consent to coercion.

There are some chases when arranged marriages can hide child marriages. In many countries, child marriages are not illegal, and they are encouraged because they can bring wealth to one of the families. That means that in those countries, kids, especially girls, are used like a currency, and that should be classified as human trafficking. Even though this is not the same as arranged marriage, there are a lot of cases where parents use the term of arranged marriage when they are actually obligating their children to get married. Kids can't give their consent to something like marriage because they are not able to understand the situation they are putting themselves into.

Arranged marriages are debated amongst scholars, as many question whether arranged marriages are being used to abuse the international immigration system. Arranged marriages can also be seen as a violation to human rights, particularly women's rights. Some argue that preventing arranged marriage may harm individuals who want to get parental participation in finding and selecting a mate, but choosing a life long partner with the help and suggestions of other people does not mean that the marriage is arranged. Even though modern day arranged marriages look very different when comparing to how people see the classic version of arranged marriage, the dangers are still there. It can be a trap that could lead people in difficult situations or a way to get out of poverty. While arranged marriages are not inherently dangerous, the chances of being stuck in a threatening situation are much higher and it should be addressed.