22/06/2023
Police Oracle
In 2022, the Home Office FMU handled cases relating to 25 ‘focus countries’, excluding the UK.
Earlier this week the Home Office published the latest statistics from its Forced Marriage Unit (FMU), covering the year 2022. The Unit gave advice or support in just 302 cases, compared to 337 in the previous year, 759 in 2020 and over one thousand in every year of the preceding decade. Of course, these statistics represent only the cases that have been reported to the FMU, and where the FMU has actively given advice or support. Forced marriage is a hidden crime, and the Home Office makes it clear that these figures will not reflect the full scale of the abuse. The government has also commissioned the University of Birmingham to conduct a feasibility study on how accurate estimations of the prevalence of forced marriage and FGM in England and Wales might be made.
What is a forced marriage?
The Home Office defines a forced marriage as one in which a person uses violence, threats or another form of coercion to cause someone else to enter into a marriage, and believes (or ought reasonably to believe) that their actions may cause that other person to enter into the marriage without free and full consent.
Coercion may include emotional pressure, physical force (or the threat of it), and financial pressure. It is a criminal offence to force someone into a marriage or to deceive them into travelling overseas for this purpose. Importantly, it is also a forced marriage to do anything to cause an adult who lacks the relevant mental capacity to enter into a marriage, even if a form of coercion is not used.
The statistics
The published figures cover the 302 cases where contact was made to the FMU through its public helpline or by email in relation to a new case, and comprises 297 cases of forced marriage and 5 of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The unit also responded to 545 general enquiries. All percentages and analysis below relate to the total figure of 302.
Of the cases in which the FMU provided advice or support in 2022:
The Home Office makes it clear that forced marriage is not a problem specific to one country, religion or culture, saying that in recent years, the FMU has handled cases relating to countries across 6 continents.
In 2022, the FMU handled cases relating to 25 ‘focus countries’, excluding the UK. The ‘focus country’ is the country to which the forced marriage risk relates. This could be the country where the forced marriage (or FGM) is due to take place, the country where it has taken place, and/or the country that the spouse is currently residing in. The ‘focus countries’ (other than the UK) with the highest number of cases in 2022 were:
The majority (78%) of victims were in the UK at the time the case was referred to the FMU.
Every year the Forced Marriage Unit receives referrals from a variety of sources. The bulk of these come from professionals charged with safeguarding responsibilities, such as the police, social services and education officials. In 2022, 72 cases (24% of referrals) were made by social services, 46 cases (15%) by the police, and 28 cases (9%) by education officials.
In 49 cases (16%) the referral was made by the Home Office (generally borders and immigration) – these were mostly related to reluctant sponsor cases (defined as when assistance is provided when an unwanted spouse is due to move to the UK).
There were 37 cases (12%) which were made by the victims seeking support and guidance. The remaining 13% of cases were referred by friends, partners, family members, colleagues and anonymous callers.
If readers require further information on this issue, it might be helpful to note that the FMU operates a helpline from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (+44 (0) 20 7008 0151). Outside of these hours, consular assistance can be requested 24/7 by contacting the nearest overseas British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate, or by calling 020 7008 5000 in the UK.