LONDON, U.K. - British legislation banning forced
marriage came into effect on Monday, with those found guilty of the
largely hidden practice facing up to seven years in prison.
The law applies not only
within Britain but also makes it a criminal offence to force a British
national into a marriage abroad, as many youngsters are flown out to
weddings in their ancestral homelands, particularly in Pakistan, India
and Bangladesh.
Nearly two-thirds of the
cases dealt with by the government’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) relate
to Britain’s South Asian communities.
Campaigners welcomed the new laws as a “huge step forward”, while the government hopes they will protect potential victims.
A practice wrecking the lives of unknown
thousands of British-born youths, forced marriage has been increasingly
exposed in the last decade.
“Forced marriage is a tragedy
for each and every victim, and its very nature means that many cases go
unreported,” said Home Secretary Theresa May.
“I am proud
to say that the UK is already a world leader in the fight to stamp out
this harmful practice with the government’s FMU 
working hard to tackle
this terrible practice in the UK and overseas.
working hard to tackle
this terrible practice in the UK and overseas.
“Today’s criminalisation is a
further move by this government to ensure victims are protected by the
law and that they have the confidence, safety and the freedom to
choose.”
Last year, the FMU dealt with some 1,300 cases — 18 per cent of them men.
Forty per cent of victims were aged 17 or under; three quarters were aged under 22.
Officials fear the number of victims coming forward is just the tip of the iceberg.
Meanwhile charities say few
leaders with influence in their communities are prepared to take a
stand, for fear of losing their support base.
- The cases related to 74 different countries, although 43 per cent were linked to Pakistan, 11 per cent to India and 10 per cent to Bangladesh.
Other countries with multiple cases included Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran and Tunisia.
The National Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children said children as young as 12 had
contacted them about forced marriage, with the numbers calling up
two-thirds in the last year.
The charity’s Ash Chand
called the new law “a huge step forward which we hope will deter those
plotting against their own children.
“Many young people who call
our ChildLine service about this issue are frightened, concerned and
feel control of their lives is being wrenched from them.”
Source: AFP
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