Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many cases the Forced Marriage Unit provided advice and support to in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

The joint Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) lead efforts to combat forced marriage both at home and abroad, providing support and advice for victims, those at risk, and professionals, through its public helpline and inbox. The support offered ranges from providing information on forced marriage general enquiries and guidance to assistance in repatriation to the UK (for victims overseas).

The FMU publishes annual statistics that represent only the cases that have been reported to the FMU. Forced marriage is a hidden crime, so these figures will not reflect the full scale of the abuse. For this reason, the FMU is also involved in activities to raise awareness of forced marriage among key professions.

Data for the years 2019 – 2023, regarding FMU cases, is as follows:

• 2023: the FMU received 802 contacts relating to possible forced marriage or FGM (FMU can assist in relation to Forced Marriage and FGM where they impact British Nationals). This figure includes general enquiries and comprises 280 cases of forced marriage where advice and support were provided.
• 2022: the FMU received 847 contacts (including general enquiries) and provided advice and support in 302 cases.
• 2021: the FMU received 1,205 contacts (including general enquiries) and gave advice and support in 337 cases.
• 2020: the FMU received 1,159 contacts (including general enquiries) and provided advice and support in 759 cases.
• 2019: Reporting in this year did not distinguish between general enquiries and cases where advice and support were provided. A total of 1,355 cases were recorded.

A more detailed breakdown of these statistics is available for the years 2019 – 2023 and is accessible to the public via GOV.uk.