WUNRN
UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- The Forced
Marriage Unit FMU gave advice or support related to a possible forced
marriage in 1485 cases.
- Where the age was known,
13% involved victims below 15 years, 22% involved victims aged 16-17, 30%
involved victims aged 18-21, 19% involved victims aged 22-25, 8% involved
victims aged 26-30, 8% involved victims aged 31+. The oldest victim was 71 and
the youngest was 2.
- 82% involved female
victims and 18% involved male victims.
- The FMU handled cases
involving 60 different countries, including Pakistan (47.1%), Bangladesh (11%),
India (8%), Afghanistan (2.1%), Somalia (1.2%), Turkey (1.1%), Iraq (1%), Iran
(0.9%), Nigeria (0.9%), Sri Lanka (0.9%), Egypt (0.6%), Saudi Arabia (0.6%),
Yemen (0.6%), The Gambia (0.5%), Morocco (0.5%), and Ukraine (0.5%). The origin
was unknown in 7.7% of cases.
- Within the UK the
regional distribution was: East Anglia 2%, East Midlands 3%, London 21%, North
East 1%, North West 8%, Northern Ireland 0.2%, Scotland 1%, South East 11%,
South West 2%, West Midlands 16%, Wales 1%, Yorkshire and Humberside 7%. The
region was unknown in 27% of cases.
- 114 cases involved
victims with disabilities.
- 22 involved victims who
identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).
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https://www.gov.uk/forced-marriage#forced-marriage-unit
Website
includes comprehensive information and videos.
A forced marriage is where
one or both people do not (or in cases of people with learning or physical
disabilities, cannot) consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used.
The pressure put on people
to marry against their will can be physical (including threats, actual physical
violence and sexual violence) or emotional and psychological (for example, when
someone is made to feel like they’re bringing shame on their family). Financial
abuse (taking your wages or not giving you any money) can also be a factor.
This guide provides
information for professionals protecting the victims of forced marriage. It
also gives details of financial support for charities and awareness-raising
publications. Information for
people directly affected by forced marriage is also available.
The Foreign and
Commonwealth Office’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU)
is raising awareness about forced marriage across the public sector. We provide
expert advice to professionals, especially those confronted by forced marriage
for the first time: