Britain's forced marriage unit will be highlighting the problem on social media via the hashtag #RightToChoose
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Forced marriage is an "appalling form of abuse" for the girls involved, the British government said on Monday, as it launched a weeklong drive to raise awareness about the problem.
The practice was made a criminal offence in England and Wales in legislation that came into effect on June 16. Anyone found guilty of forcing someone into marriage faces up to seven years in prison under the new law.
"For girls who are forced to marry against their will and experience this appalling form of abuse, it is often a life sentence," Crime Prevention Minister Norman Baker said in a statement.
"Forced marriage is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
The campaign was launched ahead of the school summer holidays, a time when girls are most at risk of being forced into marriage. Such marriages often take place in countries where the girls' families have their roots, experts say.
The government's forced marriage unit, which was set up in 2005, will be highlighting the problem on social media through a series of blogs, videos and animations, tweets and images with the hashtag #RightToChoose.
Last year, the forced marriage unit dealt with 1,302 cases. Eighty-two percent of the victims were female and in 40 percent of the cases, the victim was 17 or younger.
Cases involved 74 countries with the greatest numbers linked to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
Some studies suggest that 5,000 to 8,000 forced marriages happen each year in Britain. Worldwide, around 14 million girls are forced to marry early or against their will.
In March, Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening urged leaders and campaigners to tackle the forced marriage of children in the same way as female genital mutilation. A global effort to tackle FGM has succeeded in getting the once taboo issue on the international agenda.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
