Government moves against forced marriage
The Government has announced it will be consulting on whether to introduce a new criminal offence of forcing an individual into marriage.
The consultation forms part of a wider crackdown against forced marriage, which includes the establishment of a new cross-governmental taskforce, raising the age for marriage entry clearance from 16 to 18 and targeting forced marriage as a specific offence in inter-agency guidance on child protection.
The joint Forced Marriage Unit will be in operation by the end of the year and will provide the central focus for policy and providing information and assistance to potential victims and professionals.
It is not known how many forced marriages take place in Britain, or involve British citizens, but a Foreign Office Community Liaison Unit has dealt with 1000 cases in the last four years, and rescued and repatriated around 200 young people from overseas.
Forced marriage is distinct from arranged marriages which exist in a number of cultures. Forced marriage is where one or both of the individuals are coerced, or threatened into giving consent, as opposed to arranged marriages which have the consent of both sides.
Announcing the changes, Home Secretary David Blunkett said: “Forced marriage is simply an abuse of human rights. It is a form of domestic violence that dehumanises people by denying them their right to choose how to live their lives.
“Valuing individual citizens, their dignity and the contribution they have to make to society in their own right is a central part of our drive for strong, active communities. The appalling practice of forced marriage represents the opposite extreme and that is why Government is taking tough action to eradicate it.
“It is very encouraging that a large number of community and faith leaders and voluntary organisations have come forward to take a full part in raising awareness of these problems and the support that is available. We look forward to working in close co-operation with them and hearing what they have to say through our consultation exercise.”
There will also be an additional entry clearance officer established in Islamabad to help reluctant spouses, assist those abandoned in Pakistan and help those who have the right to return to the UK.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: “Our High Commissions and Embassies work intensively with police and judiciary overseas to stop Britons being forced into marriage. In difficult and stressful conditions our consular staff have removed victims from situations of extreme emotional and physical trauma. They have rescued victims who have been held captive, raped or forced into an abortion.
“However, more can certainly be done and we hope these new measures will drive forward increasingly effective co-operation between all those groups who are determined to tackle the abuse, both in the UK and overseas.”
