Join Helen McCabe, Rights Lab Assistant Professor in Political Theory, and other key speakers at this symposium, which provides an opportunity for policymakers, charities, social workers, police officers, teachers, and other safeguarding professionals to identify strategies to improve identification and outcomes for victims of forced marriage, both under social distancing measures and going forward.
Overview
According to UNICEF, the Covid-19 pandemic has put 10 million more girls at risk of being forced into marriage by 2030. Forced marriages (FM) have been exacerbated due to the pandemic, while face-to-face contact between potential victims and those who ordinarily spot and report signs of abuse – teachers, medical professionals, friends, colleagues – has been reduced. FM has always been a ‘hidden crime’ due to significant underreporting of those it affects, but this will be even more so following the lockdown. Even as restrictions ease though, another spike in FM could occur. Charities including Karma Nirvana and IKWRO have expressed concern that instances of FM will escalate as international travel resumes. The last year, subsequently risks reversing 25 years of progress on ending the practice.
The Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill is currently awaiting its second reading and will look to protect those at risk of FM by increasing the age of marriage to 18. Forced marriage was criminalised in 2014, and built upon the 2007 Forced Marriage Act which allowed those at risk to apply in court for a Forced Marriage Protection Order. Under the 2016 Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, the CPS implemented a data monitoring process for forced marriage crimes, and the government funded forced marriage training for some teachers. The Forced Marriage Unit, established in 2005, operates a public helpline to support victims of forced marriage and provides guidance and training for police officers, social workers, teachers, and safeguarding professionals. The FMU may intervene to prevent unwanted spouses moving to the UK, and in extreme cases rescue British nationals held against their will overseas. Lifelong anonymity for victims of forced marriage was introduced in 2017 to encourage self-reporting, and the following year the Home Secretary launched an awareness campaign directing victims and concerned parties to the Forced Marriage Helpline. In January 2020, repatriation fees for forced marriage victims were also abolished.
The University of Nottingham Rights Lab has recommended that the government do more to adapt identification of forced marriage victims to the context of social distancing, for instance exploring uses of digital technology to identify and report cases. Charities including Southall Black Sisters have called for adequate government funding for frontline BME women’s organisations supporting victims of forced marriage, as well as training for those in positions of authority or in close proximity to at risk individuals to help with identification and support.
Government policy relating to the forced marriage of minors has recently faced particular scrutiny. In May 2020, Freedom of Information requests revealed that half of local authorities did not have procedures for keeping records of children at risk of forced marriage. IKWRO has called for a national review investigating how children’s social care services in Britain record and respond to these cases. Campaigners have also argued that criminalising forced marriage could stop victims from speaking up if they fear their parents will be imprisoned. While criminal sanctions may send a “strong message”, it risks scaring others and pushing the issue further underground. It has been argued that what is needed is greater prevention work to educate perpetrators, who are often the victims’ parents.
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