Home Office
Information for people directly affected by forced marriage is also available.
Recognise a forced marriage
A forced marriage is where one or both people do not or cannot consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used to force them into the marriage. It is also when anything is done to make someone marry before they turn 18, even if there is no pressure or abuse.
Forced marriage is illegal in the UK. It is a form of domestic abuse and a serious abuse of human rights.
The pressure put on people to marry against their will may be:
- physical: for example, threats, physical violence or sexual violence
- emotional and psychological: for example, making someone feel like they are bringing shame on their family
Financial abuse, for example taking someones wages, may also be a factor.
How the Forced Marriage Unit can help
The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) is a joint Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Home Office unit which leads on the governments 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).
The FMU operates a public helpline to provide advice and support to:
- victims and potential victims of forced marriage
- professionals dealing with cases
The FMU public helpline can help with:
- safety advice
- providing assistance when an unwanted spouse is due to move to the UK (reluctant sponsor cases)
- where possible, assistance in repatriation of victims held against their will overseas
The FMU undertakes an extensive training and awareness programme targeting both professionals and potential victims, and carries out a range of work to raise awareness.
The FMU privacy notice describes how we process data to provide support to victims and potential victims of forced marriage. The notice explains how we will use your personal data, and what your rights are in relation to our use of your personal data.
Contact
- telephone: +44 (0) 20 7008 0151
- email, including for outreach work: fmu@fcdo.gov.uk
- Facebook: Forced Marriage page
- Twitter: @FMUnit
- media enquiries:
- The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office +44 (0) 20 7008 3100
- Home Office +44 (0) 300 123 3535
The FMU has also produced:
- Forced Marriage: A Survivors Handbook
- What is a forced marriage? leaflet
- - this is a business-card sized design which contains contact details for the FMU. They can be given to any potential victim and are small enough to be placed in wallets/purses
Understand the legislation on forced marriage
The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 made it a criminal offence in England, Wales and Scotland to force someone to marry. (It is a criminal offence in Northern Ireland under separate legislation).
This includes:
- taking someone overseas to force them to marry (whether or not the forced marriage takes place)
- doing anything intended to cause a child to marry before their eighteenth birthday, whether or not a form of coercion is used
- causing someone who lacks the mental capacity to consent to marry to get married (whether they are pressured to or not)
Forcing someone to marry can result in a sentence of up to 7 years in prison.
It is also possible for victims or those at risk to apply for a Forced Marriage Protection Order (FMPO). As a civil law measure, an application for a FMPO would be made in the family court. Read guidance from the Ministry of Justice on taking out an FMPO
Failure to comply with the requirements or terms set out in a FMPO granted by the Family Court, is a criminal offence and can result in a sentence of up to 5 years in prison.
In 2017 the government introduced lifelong anonymity for victims of forced marriage to encourage more victims of this hidden crime to come forward.
Access guidance and training
The government is committed to ensuring that professionals who are made aware of a forced marriage victim have the training and guidance they need to provide effective advice and support. This includes police officers, social workers, teachers, and safeguarding professionals.
The Forced Marriage Unit has created a guidance document which comprises:
- multi-agency statutory guidance for dealing with forced marriage, which provides guidance for every person and organisation that has a public function relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults; and
- multi-agency (non-statutory) practice guidelines on handling cases of forced marriage, for frontline workers, including health professionals, educational staff, police, childrens social care, adult social services, local authority housing staff, registrars, and staff working at the UK border.
You can also read:
- multi-agency practice guidelines for Forced Marriage and learning disabilities (PDF, 586 KB), which provides guidance and advise to frontline workers supporting children and adults with learning disabilities.
- guidance for members of Parliament and constituency offices (PDF, 302 KB) available for all MPs to support them in assisting their constituents, this guidance provides background information on forced marriage and describes best practice for supporting victims and dealing with their families
- The