Forced Marriage

(asked on 1st June 2015) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that girls are not taken abroad for the purposes of forced marriage.


Answered by
Lord Bates Portrait
Lord Bates
This question was answered on 10th June 2015

The UK is a world leader in tackling forced marriage, and the Government is committed to ensuring that girls are not taken abroad for the purposes of forced marriage. That is why, during the previous Parliament, the Home Secretary made forced marriage a criminal offence, which included taking extra-territorial jurisdiction for forced marriage offences.

We recognise that strengthening the law is only part of the solution. The Government’s Forced Marriage Unit is leading efforts to combat this unacceptable activity both at home and abroad. Measures include providing support and advice to professionals and victims through a public helpline, with the Unit assisting in 1,267 cases in 2014. We are providing further direct support to professionals, including schools and the Crown Prosecution Service, through an extensive outreach and training programme and the publication of statutory multi-agency guidance in July 2014.

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