New plan to stop girls being forced to marry

Date published: 14/08/2007

Anyone from Rochdale travelling outside the UK to marry should be made to register the name of their partner before leaving the country to crack down on forced marriages, the Conservatives have said.

Outlining their policy proposal, Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green said the change would stop young girls being taken on "holiday" and forced to marry while there.

Mr Green said: "There are some frightening and disturbing tales of girls of 16 and 17 being threatened and bullied into marrying men they’ve never met and have had no contact with, and feeling too scared to do anything about it.

"It’s also a cohesion issue because we have a big debate in this country about Britishness and what it involves, and often it’s a fairly airy-fairy debate to be perfectly honest.

"I think one of the ways you can make practical Britishness is to say there are some things which are just not acceptable in modern Britain, and forced marriage would certainly be one of those."

He said one of the most important rights in this country was for each individual to decide who they will marry.

The call comes weeks after MPs voted to introduce a private members’ bill from the Lords which makes forced marriage a civil offence. It means women or a third party will be able to apply for an injunction in the civil courts to stop them being forced to marry.

And, as a last resort, they could go to court to claim compensation for damages and injuries suffered.

The Government defended its decision not to make forced marriage an offence saying it feared it could create "racial segregation".

Justice Minister Bridget Prentice wrote to Shipley MP Philip Davies and said that after a consultation it was feared the "biggest concern was over racial segregation".

The letter said: "The Government believes the present bill — offering civil remedies — will, however, act as a strong deterrent and will send out a clear message that forced marriage will not be tolerated."

About 300 cases of forced marriage are reported to the Government’s forced marriage unit each year but it is estimated that hundreds more go unreported.

Earlier this year, the Government announced victims could call and speak to someone who has had a similar experience after a 24-hour emergency hotline was set up.

And new guidance was issued to help GPs, school nurses, midwives and A&E staff recognise the warning signs.