Forced Marriage
The Forced Marriage Unit recorded
1,618 cases of forced marriage across the UK in 2008. [This figure
is made up of 1188 calls on the Forced Marriage Unit call register
from victims, friends, or agencies/NGOs etc who are handling cases
and are asking for advice/support, 420 cases, and 10 ILR
reports.]
The Forced Marriage Unit receives a
further 5,000 calls a year from people who believe themselves to be
at risk of forced marriage [Forced Marriage Unit]
Approximately 85% of forced
marriage cases dealt with by the Government Forced Marriage Unit
(FMU) involve women and girls; the FMU deals with around 300 cases
per annum. [Joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Forced Marriage Unit website]
30% of the enquiries dealt with by
the Government's Forced Marriage Unit concerned under 18's and 15%
of those were boys. [HM Government (2008). The right to choose:
Multi-Agency statutory guidance for dealing with forced
marriage. London: Forced Marriage Unit]
Reunite International estimate that
1,000 British Asian girls are forced into marriage each year.
[National Union of Teachers, Silence is not always Golden,
2005]
