Dispatches: When Cousins Marry

8:00pm Monday, August 23 on C4

Dispatches reveals the tragic consequences of first cousin marriage in Britain. The practice is most common in Britain’s Pakistani community, in which more than 50% of people marry their first cousin. The medical risks include infant mortality, birth defects, learning difficulties, blindness, hearing impairment and metabolic disorders. Reporter Tazeen Ahmad meets affected families, including one with three children with serious degenerative genetic diseases. Dispatches questions why no major national publicity campaign warns of these health risks.