UK issues alert over ‘forced marriages’
Print Edition
The British government has warned teachers, doctors and airport staff to be on alert for a rise in forced marriages over the school summer holidays.
Summer marks a peak in reports of young people — mainly girls — being taken abroad on “holiday,” not knowing their families are forcing them into a marriage, the interior ministry said yesterday.
The Forced Marriage Unit dealt with some 1,500 cases last year, a third of them involving children aged under 17. In nearly half the cases the victims were taken to Pakistan.
“The rise in forced marriage reports over the school holidays is shocking,” said crime prevention minister Jeremy Browne. “Teenagers expecting their GCSE or A-level (exam) results should be embarking on a bright future, not condemned to a marriage with someone they have never met and do not want to marry.”
The Unit is handing out cards this summer providing information for potential victims, telling them to speak to police or airline staff if they believe they are being taken to be married against their will.
But the opposition Labour Party said the warning might have been more helpful if it was issued before schools broke up for the holidays.
The Unit said the victims it had dealt with last year were taken to 60 countries, including Bangladesh (11 percent), India (8 percent) and Afghanistan (2.1 percent).
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