[kash]

Forced marriages are more of a cultural thing. Forbidden in Islam, however it does happen (and that's wrong). Arranged marriages are like dating agencies by parents as Gayle pointed out. In arrange marriages a female has the same right to refuse as the guy. Another thing which is forbidden is dowry. one party (usually the guys family) is not allowed to put any pressure on the other party. Asking for dowry is more common in India.