Up to 8,000 cases of forced marriage a year.
A forced marriage is a marriage performed under duress
without the full consent of both parties. A victim of a forced
marriage may be emotionally blackmailed or physically abused.
We found that up to 8,000 cases of forced marriage may have been
reported in England in 2008.
The prevalence of the problem was examined using quantitative data
collected from local organisations working with victims in ten
local authorities, and key national organisations.
Back to topThe majority of reported cases involve a young and female South Asian victim.
While most cases involved South Asian girls, Forced
marriage also affects older victims, young men, and other
communities.
Back to topServices need to improve how they respond to forced marriage cases.
Our research revealed that, among some statutory services,
there is little understanding or awareness of forced marriage, even
in local authorities with relatively high numbers of reported
cases.
The research on service response involved 40 in-depth interviews
with statutory and voluntary organisations in four local
authorities.
Services need to improve the co-ordination of their response to
cases, especially at the local level.
This is a pressing concern, as the problem of forced marriage cuts
across many services, including domestic violence, child
protection, health and education.
Our research also suggests that better use needs to be made of the
expertise of the Black and Minority Ethnic voluntary
sector.
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