Government warns of forced marriage risk

The UK government has issued a warning to teachers, doctors and airport staff to be alert to forced marriages over the school holidays.

The summer marks a peak in reports of forced marriage cases, when youngsters can be taken on ‘holiday’, unaware of the real purpose of the trip.

Between June and August last year, the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU), a joint operation by the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, received over 400 reports. This year the unit is handing out “Marriage: it’s your choice” cards, to provide help and information to potential victims, signposting them to confidential advice. The cards also remind young people to speak to police or airline staff if they find themselves at an airport with nowhere to turn.

The Forced Marriage Unit was set up in January 2005 as the Government’s one-stop shop for dealing with forced marriage policy, outreach and casework. It operates both inside the UK, where support is provided to any individual, and overseas, where consular assistance is provided to British nationals, including dual nationals.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v2.0.

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