MP CALLS FOR FORCED MARRIAGE TO BE CRIMINALISED

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

MP calls for forced marriage to be criminalised

Forced marriages should be criminalised, an MP has said.

Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, made the comments after the committee finished an inquiry into the issue yesterday.

Its final report found that forced marriage affected thousands of young people in the UK.

Mr Vaz, the MP for Leicester East, said: "I am very disappointed that progress on protection and awareness remains slow.

"I am also concerned that a loss of specialist support services due to spending cuts will stunt further progress.

"We believe the best way to deter people is through criminalising forced marriage.

"Taking this bold step alongside providing a range of services supporting victims of violence and raising awareness in schools must be a priority for the Government.

"There should be zero tolerance of this harmful activity that ruins the lives of so many."

Mr Vaz said it was possible for the authorities to tackle forced marriage through the civil courts, by persuading a judge to issue a Forced Marriage Protection Order. These impose restrictions such as who a person can contact.

If the subject breached the order they could get sent to prison for up to two years.

Since 2008, the last time the committee ran an inquiry into forced marriages, 293 orders have been issued, but Mr Vaz said they had not been properly enforced.