Forced Marriage: Children and Young People
(asked on 2nd May 2019) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times in 2018 the Forced Marriage Unit provided advice or support on forced marriage to (1) a person aged 15 or under, and (2) a person aged 16 or 17.
Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK is a world-leader in the fight to stamp out the brutal practice of forced marriage, with our joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) which leads efforts to combat it both at home and abroad. We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK.
The joint Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Home Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) operates a public helpline to provide advice and support to victims, those at risk, and professionals. Statistics on the number of cases dealt with by the FMU, including a breakdown by region and age, are published annually and available online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/forced-marriage#statistics-on-forced-marriage
Figures for 2018 will be published soon.