Centenial Celebration

Transaction Search Form: please type in any of the fields below.

Date: April 29, 2024 Mon

Time: 10:29 pm

Results for forced marriage (u.k.)

4 results found

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee

Title: Forced Marriage: Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence

Summary: Forced marriage is "a marriage conducted without the valid consent of both parties where duress (emotional pressure in addition to physical abuse) is a factor". It is not an arranged marriage into which, while families may be involved in choosing the marriage partner, both parties probably, on the whole, enter freely; nor is it a religious practice. While our predecessors observed that forced marriage has historically been practised in many different communities, they found that in 2008, due to their relative size within the UK population, forced marriage was most common amongst Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian communities. At the time of the inquiry the Government’s Forced Marriage Unit handled around 300 cases of forced marriage each year but it was considered that this was likely to represent “only the tip of the iceberg.” Subsequent research commissioned by the then - Department for Children, Schools and Families, at the Committee’s behest, estimated that the national prevalence of reported cases of forced marriage in England was between 5,000 and 8,000. The number of cases of forced marriage dealt with by the Forced Marriage Unit rose to 430 in 2008 and remained at around 400 in 2009 and 2010, with the ratio of male to female victims also remaining stable over this period at around 86% female to 14% male. Jasvinder Sanghera told us that Karma Nirvana had recently become aware of instances of forced marriage taking place in a broader range of communities than before, citing cases from Egypt and an increase in at-risk dual heritage children. Karma Nirvana reported a rise in callers to their national Honour Network Helpline since 2008, peaking at 5,599, and in particular an increase in the number of males reporting; the ratio of callers is now 70% female to 30% male. The increase in the number of cases handled by the Forced Marriage Unit and the number of calls made to the Honour Network Helpline since our predecessor Committee’s inquiry in 2007–08 demonstrates that forced marriage remains a serious concern, affecting thousands of young people in the UK. The fact that more young women and, increasingly, young men are coming forward to seek help is encouraging but underlines the requirement for sufficient support mechanisms to be in place to meet their needs.

Details: London: The Stationery OFfice, 2011. 60p.

Source: Internet Resource: Eighth Report of Session 2010-12: Accessed May 19, 2011 at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmhaff/880/880.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmhaff/880/880.pdf

Shelf Number: 121762

Keywords:
Forced Marriage (U.K.)
Human Rights

Author: Gill, Aisha K.

Title: Exploring the Viability of Creating a Specific Offence for Forced Marriage in England and Wales: Report on Findings

Summary: On 26 May 2011, the Forced Marriage Unit held a non-governmental organisation (NGO) round-table to discuss the Home Affairs Select Committee’s report of 17 May 2011 on whether to criminalise forced marriage. The report argued in favour of forced marriage being recognised as a specific criminal offence: therefore, it recommended that new criminal legislation be developed. As a result of the round-table meeting, a number of NGOs requested that the independent survey on the feasibility of criminalisation, conducted by Roehampton University, be extended so that they could respond as the HAC report did not reflect the views of those present and others involved in addressing forced marriage in England and Wales. This study represents detailed information about the views of NGOs and community groups working on forced marriage and related issues. The respondents generally agreed that legislation alone would have a limited impact and that more holistic support mechanisms, a sustained training programme aimed at relevant professionals, and an equally comprehensive awareness-raising campaign aimed at affected community and the wider population would be necessary to combat the problem of forced marriage.

Details: London: University of Roehampton, 2011. 38p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 22, 2011 at: http://www.avaproject.org.uk/media/68857/forced-marriage-legislation-survey_report-of-findings_gill_13july_final.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.avaproject.org.uk/media/68857/forced-marriage-legislation-survey_report-of-findings_gill_13july_final.pdf

Shelf Number: 122146

Keywords:
Forced Marriage (U.K.)
Gender-Based Violence
Violence Against Women

Author: Great Britain. Crown Prosecution Service

Title: CPS Pilot on Forced Marriage and So-Called 'Honour' Crime: Findings

Summary: On 1 July 2007, the CPS implemented a pilot project to identify and monitor forced marriage and so-called ‘honour’ crime cases for the first time. The aims of the pilot were: a) To identify the number and pattern of cases b) To identify issues facing prosecutors in accurately identifying, managing and prosecuting these cases c) To inform the development of any national guidance and training for prosecutors. The pilot ran in four CPS Areas: Lancashire, London, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire. Within London there were four participating Boroughs (Newham, Brent, Tower Hamlets and Ealing). The pilot ran for nine months and concluded on 31 March 2008. Within each Area, in advance of the pilot, nominated prosecutors (known as specialist prosecutors) were selected, provided with guidance and trained to lead and advise colleagues on the prosecution of these cases in their respective Areas. A new monitoring system was also implemented as part of the pilot. This involved specialist prosecutors forwarding to a lead advisor any suspected case of forced marriage and/or so-called ‘honour’ crime in order for its status to be confirmed and a monitoring ‘flag’ to be applied. The lead advisor also acted as a direct point of contact for guidance and advice for prosecutors in relation to identifying, managing and prosecuting these cases during the pilot. The CPS also initiated a research project in support of the pilot. The research adopted a mixed method approach involving qualitative and quantitative methods. It was also, in some respects, longitudinal in design. Data was collected in three stages: 1) pre-pilot; 2) during the course of the pilot; and 3) post-pilot. The key findings from the research project are presented in this report.

Details: London: Crown Prosecution Service, 2008. 47p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 18, 2012 at: http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/findings_from_cps_pilot_on_forced_marriage.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/findings_from_cps_pilot_on_forced_marriage.pdf

Shelf Number: 123653

Keywords:
Forced Marriage (U.K.)
Honour Crimes
Victims of Crime

Author: Freeman, Marilyn

Title: University Responses to Forced Marriage and Violence Against Women in the UK: Report on a Pilot Study

Summary: Violence against women (VAW) and forced marriage (FM) affect students in post-secondary education but little is known about how these issues present to staff working at colleges and universities and how the institutions respond. The purpose of this pilot study was to gather initial evidence about these matters and explore how institutional responses can be enhanced, considering both internal procedures and links with specialist services in the community. We use the term post-secondary education as an umbrella term for higher education universities and colleges, and further education colleges. The term higher education institutions (HEIs) is used mostly in reference to UK institutions that typically draw students 18 years and older and prepare them for professional or research-oriented jobs. Further education (FE) colleges refers to UK institutions that typically draw students 16 to 18 years old and prepare them for vocational and technical jobs. In addition, we use the terms universities and colleges interchangeably when referring to HEIs in the United States, which we do on occasion for comparative purposes. We use the different terms in order to acknowledge the variety of legal, social and cultural contexts post-secondary education institutions constitute. This report is informed by feedback gathered in 16 stakeholder interviews with staff at two HEIs in the southeast of England, local police officers, and local community-based specialist service providers1. Data collection was restricted to two HEIs, due to the exploratory nature of this research and the limited financial support and time-frame we had available for securing institutional participation. Note that students were not interviewed as our main focus in this pilot study was on staff and institutional perspectives. The pilot study used a small non-random sample, which may not necessarily be representative of HEIs in the UK. Nonetheless, we believe that the evidence gathered is useful and can inform university policy and future research in this area. This report presents aggregated findings across the two participating HEIs. We found that individual front line staff members see up to 15 cases per year of VAW students, mostly domestic violence but also sexual assault, and cases in which family members other than an intimate partner abuse the student. Cases of FM appear to be almost invisible to university staff but specialist service providers in the community stated that they worked with victims of FM who were students. The ‘institutional response’ appeared to be a matter of individual staff member expertise and commitment. Systematic institutional policies or response protocols dedicated to the issues were lacking. Managerial support for front line staff varied considerably; acquiring specialised training depended on individual staff motivation and the supportiveness of individual line managers. Referrals within the HEIs were not formalised but appeared to work well within the immediate peer context of front line staff; referrals to community-based services were not formalised and depended on how well individual staff knew the local community and relevant national services and resources. Staff members expressed interest in more specific training on VAW/FM and on cultural sensitivity.

Details: London: London Metropolitan University, Child & Woman Abuse Studies Unit, 2012. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 5, 2012 at: http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/fms/MRSite/acad/lgri/CFLP/2168_LMU_Forced_Marriage_WEB.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/fms/MRSite/acad/lgri/CFLP/2168_LMU_Forced_Marriage_WEB.pdf

Shelf Number: 125476

Keywords:
Forced Marriage (U.K.)
Universities and Colleges
Violence Against Women