Forced marriage consultation launched
Plans to introduce a new criminal offence specifically dealing with forced marriages have today been put out for consultation.
Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman and Home Office minister Baroness Scotland have launched a three-month consultation on whether a new offence, among other measures, would help tackle the problem.
Currently, families who make their children marry against their will can only be charged with offences such as assault. The police have already said a new separate offence would be welcome.
The government believes that it is a serious issue, a form of domestic violence and an abuse of human rights. Victims can suffer physical and emotional damage, including by being held captive and being repeatedly raped.
“Forced marriage is a form of domestic violence and an abuse of human rights,” Baroness Scotland told the Observer.
The government believes a new criminal law would challenge people’s view about forced marriages, act as a deterrent and make it easier to take action against perpetrators. It could also give young people greater power to object to decisions by their parents.
But there are potential problems – for example, it may be difficult to bring prosecutions if victims are unwilling to testify against family members.
It is also a sensitive cultural issue, with some arguing the proposed offence is an example of Islamaphobia – especially in the current light of legislation aimed at cracking down on Islamic extremists.
However, the government point out the problem of forced marriages is not confined to Muslim or Asian communities – many cases involve Middle Eastern, Far Eastern, African, South American and eastern European communities.
There is also an important distinction between forced marriages and arranged marriages, in which both spouses have given their full consent and which are wholly legal.
The problem is something of a ‘hidden’ issue, but the government’s forced marriage unit has dealt with more than 1,000 cases in the last four years.
