LONDON, OCTOBER 27, 2004
IANS

Britain is considering proposals to enact a law to prevent forced marriages of British nationals with origins in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Almost 1,000 cases of suspected forced marriages have been dealt with since 2000, mainly involving links to South Asian countries.

The Home Office and Foreign Office announced on Wednesday that the new measures will build on existing work with public agencies, the voluntary sector and community leaders to raise awareness of forced marriage and to encourage victims to seek support and advice.

"Forced marriage is part of no one's culture and I think some people conflate arranged marriage, which is consensual and perfectly proper, with marriages where people are forced into it. No religion, no cultural norm says that is Ok. It is a breach of human rights," said Home Office Minister Baroness Scotland.

The measures include a new joint Home Office-Foreign Office Forced Marriage Unit, consultation to be launched later this year on whether to create a specific criminal offence of forcing someone into marriage; forced marriage to be targeted as a specific abuse in the revision of key inter-agency guidance on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children which will have statutory backing.

The minimum age for marriage entry clearance in Britain will be raised from 16 to 18 and an additional forced marriage entry clearance post would be created in Pakistani capital Islamabad to help reluctant spouses and increase our ability to support victims.

"Forced marriage is simply an abuse of human rights. It is a form of domestic violence that dehumanises people by denying them their right to choose how to live their lives,” said Home Secretary David Blunkett.

"The appalling practice of forced marriage represents the opposite extreme and that is why Government is taking tough action to eradicate it.”

"It is very encouraging that a large number of community and faith leaders and voluntary organisations have come forward to take a full part in raising awareness of these problems and the support that is available. We look forward to working in close cooperation with them and hearing what they have to say through our consultation exercise," Blunkett said.

Added Foreign secretary Jack Straw: "The new joint Forced Marriage Unit will develop the good work of our Community Liaison Unit which, over the last four years, has dealt with almost 1000 cases of forced marriages and has rescued and repatriated around 200 young people from overseas.”

"Our high commissions and embassies work intensively with police and judiciary overseas to stop Britons being forced into marriage. In difficult and stressful conditions, our consular staff has removed victims from situations of extreme emotional and physical trauma. They have rescued victims who have been held captive, raped or forced into an abortion.”

"However, more can certainly be done and we hope these new measures will drive forward increasingly effective cooperation between all those groups who are determined to tackle the abuse, both in the UK and overseas," Straw maintained.