Sweden and Denmark are implementing plans to ban marriages between cousins, over fears the practice is contributing to domestic violence and 'oppression'.
On Wednesday, authorities in Stockholm recommended a ban on marriage between cousins, after an inquiry into the practice.
The investigation stated that there is a specific risk that girls and women face “honor-related oppression” in these marriages.
A day later, Danish government leaders followed similar measures and declared that they would eventually ban marriages between cousins.
Both countries are following in the footsteps of their Scandinavian neighbors, Norway – which have banned marriages celebrated between close relatives – including between cousins, uncles or aunts, and nieces or nephews.
Amid these decisions, some – such as Sunday Times columnist Matthew Syed – believe a similar law should be introduced in the UK to “boost growth and reduce bloodshed”.
Although the practice is uncommon in most UK communities, cousins are legally allowed to marry (file image)
After the inquiry, Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer argued that cousin marriage often led to a restriction on individual freedom.
He said: 'The background is that honor-related violence and oppression is a major social problem. Many have their living space and fundamental freedoms restricted due to oppressive standards of honor. Part of this concerns marriages between cousins.
Anne Kuttenkeuler, vice-president of the Svea Court of Appeal, shares this perspective, adding: “The material collected suggests that marriages between cousins are often arranged and that the decision on marriage rests primarily with a family or clan and not actually the an individual choice.”
Swedish figures show that around 140-150 people lived together with their cousins, but a judge suggested that these figures were unreliable and that the real number may be higher.
“These are not reliable numbers,” said the judge. “The contacts we have had with organizations that offer support and help women subject to honor oppression suggest that this situation is quite common.”
Upon hearing these findings, the Swedish Government proposed a ban from July 2026.
The following day, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that her government also wanted to eventually ban marriages between cousins.
Speaking alongside Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen – the leaders of the three coalition parties – Frederiksen stated that a law against cousin marriages will take some time to prepare.
'This needs to be thought through carefully. We know that marriages vary and this happens across generations, even in our own country,” she said.
«We now face new challenges in our country. Some people came from outside and use marriage to oppress.'
There are no official figures on the number of cousin marriages in Denmark.
Following the inquiry, Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (left) argued that cousin marriage often led to a restriction of individual freedom. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (right) also wants to ban the custom
On Wednesday, authorities in Stockholm (pictured) recommended banning marriage between cousins after an inquiry was held into the practice
According to Anita Johnson, director of the NGO RED Center, which runs shelters for victims of violence and conflicts of honor, the number is considered low.
But Johnson said she supported the ban because it could help protect women against oppression and honor-related violence.
“I have a feeling that intermarriage families are returning to Denmark,” she said.
Although the practice is uncommon in most UK communities, cousins are legally allowed to marry.
According to academic research published in 2023, between 38 and 59 percent of British Pakistanis marry their first cousin – with a separate study by an Oxford University academic concluding that this rate may actually be rising.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Syed encouraged the UK to also ban the practice: “The UK should follow Scandinavia and ban cousin marriage, but perhaps the most powerful move would be to encourage developing nations to do the same.
“This will not be easy, given the vested interests of the patriarchs, but it would unleash prosperity that no amount of aid (often misappropriated in tribal societies) could achieve. It is, I believe, the game changer that much of our world – still divided by kin, clans and tribes – desperately needs.'
