arranged marriages should be outlawed

My opponent is excused for lack of knowledge on the laws of the United States, and instead I will argue it on the bases of the laws set forth by the United Nations, of which India is a member. [1] Unfortunately though, my opponent has seemed to disregard the resolution of this debate, which states that "arranged marriages should be outlawed." I gave my definitions in the first round of debating, and by failing to mention any disputes with the definitions I provided, my opponent agreed to them. Despite this, my opponent has instead decided to argue her case on the basis of whether or not arranged marriages are socially viable and successful - not on the basis of their legality. This makes much of my opponent's argument pointless, as she has not defended her position. There was only one part of her argument that I can see was relevant, and I will refute it. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ My opponent states that ".... An arranged is a marriage in which parents chose the bride or bridegroom but the prior consent of the child is taken into consideration generally. By the new-age definition, an arranged marriage is just a 'set-up'." Despite my opponent's own admission that not all arranged marriages take in the consent of the child (the use of the word "generally" is proof of this), and that therefore the practice has been known to be forced upon the child, my opponent fails to take into account the legal status of the child as an individual protected under law. "Set-up" or not, the act violates the laws of the land. Arranged marriage violates at least two sections of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). (http://www.un.org...) Article 12 of the UDHR states that "... No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence...". This means that no person under law may be subjected to interference with their private life. [2] This law specifically includes children as well, as the United Nations specifically notes that the articles set forth in UDHR apply to all humans [3]. Arranged marriages specifically violate Article 12, as children have their private life interfered with during the set up of an arranged marriage. As well, in relation to my opponent's contention that "... the prior consent of the child is taken into consideration," children are not capable of making informed, rational decisions until much later in life, and therefore any "consent" given while they under under the Age of Majority [4] is void. Article 20 of the UDHR also states that "... (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association." This means that no person shall be compelled, coerced or driven to associate with a certain group or connection. [5] Association is defined as "... A mental connection or relation between thoughts, feelings, ideas, or sensations." [6] Marriage is defined as "... A close union." [7] Union is defined as "... Agreement or harmony resulting from the uniting of individuals; concord." [8] Therefore, I submit, that arranged marriages, due to their status as a "union" and therefore an "association," are a violation of Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They violate the law due to their status as coerced association without consent. Because of these two violates of the UDHR, and India's signatory to the United Nations, it is clear that arranged marriages should be outlawed. The resolution is affirmed. 1. http://www.un.int... 2. http://www.un.org... 3. http://www.un.org... 4. http://canlii.com... - Used as an example of the "Age of Majority" 5. http://www.un.org... 6. http://www.answers.com... 7. http://www.answers.com... 8. http://www.answers.com...