Graysons Solicitors In The Press

MPs call for forced marriage to be made a criminal offence

A cross party group of MPs has produced a report critisising successive governments for not doing enough to improve the plight of women suffering from forced marriage and has called for it to become a criminal offence, showing that it will simply not be tolerated.

Forced marriage affects thousands of young people in Britain and the report indicates that whilst the number of people seeking help is increasing, the amount of support available is not.

Victims of forced marriage often feel failed by the statutory authorities and rely on help from various charitable organisations around the country, but many of these organisations are under threat of closure due to government and local authority cuts.  The MPs are urging the government to re-think, saying that their closure will "materially damage" our ability to protect the victims.

Chair of the group is Labour MP Keith Vaz, who is concerned that awareness of forced marriage is still limited and that not enough is being done to increase it.  He insists that there needs to be a zero tolerance attitude to the practice, but surprisingly admits that making it a criminal offence would be a "bold step".

The report suggests that whilst forced marriage protection orders can ensure that people who force others into marriage are sent to jail for up to two years if the conditions of the order are breached, follow up action is usually ineffective and only one person was jailed for breaching an order between November 2008, when the orders were introduced, and February 2011.

It also suggests that schools are not effective enough at recognising and responding to children at risk,  perhaps due to fear of being accused of racism.  MPs have asked the government remind schools of their responsibility towards children and to provide more support to help them with these particular issues.

Responding to the committee’s report, the government said "Forced marriage is an appalling and indefensible practice that we are working hard to stop." And "We provide training for professionals to help them identify potential victims and improve awareness of the issue so that those at risk - including children and young people - know where to go for support."

For further advice and information on forced marriage issues contact Kate Fitzpatrick on 0800 048 0766 or email kate.fitzpatrick@graysons.co.uk