CONCERNS ARE RAISED ON FORCED MARRIAGES

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Concerns are raised on forced marriages

A council report has called for measures to be introduced to help tackle forced marriages.

A team of councillors from Leicestershire County Council looked at the issue of people being physically or psychologically coerced into marriage.

Their report says: "During the course of the investigation we have reached the conclusion that there is legitimate cause for concern that some young people from Leicestershire might be forced into marriage."

Last year, police reported seeing a huge increase in the number of young women who feared they would be forced into marriage seeking help.

Now councillors have called for increased help and awareness of those at risk.

Meena Kumari, of Safe, a police-backed support group in Leicester, said: "Awareness of the problem is the most important thing.

"There's often only one chance to intervene to stop a forced marriage and if schools, colleges, GPs and others are aware of the warning signs it's much easier to intervene in time.

"Only last week a college contacted us with concerns over a student who had been taken to Heathrow airport and told to get on a flight to Bangladesh for a forced marriage.

"We managed to intervene with police officers and she is in safe accommodation."

The summer is a period when young women are vulnerable to being taken abroad against their will because schools are unable to monitor them. The report urges the council to make sure that school governing bodies are aware of the nature of forced marriage in time for the summer term.

Head teachers should take reasonable measures, it adds, to make all young people aware of the issue and emphasise the difference between arranged marriage and forced marriage.

Schools should also be encouraged to incorporate a Facebook-style panic button on school computers for children to report fears that they are about to be forced to marry, the report says.

The enforcement of the law over the issue of forced marriage needs to be publicised county wide, it says, to avoid stigmatising a community by specifically targeting them. The report says: "It is a concern to all citizens, both young and old."

Councillors also call for a specific programme to get community and faith leaders to discuss and review the issue of forced marriage within their communities.

GPs and NHS health visitors should also be more alert to these issues so they can keep track of potential victims, the report says.

Last year, student Sheetal Bhanot, 22, and two friends from De Montfort University were presented with the runner-up prize at The Prince's Trust Celebrate Success ceremony for their project on forced marriages.

Sheetal, from Knighton, said: "During the project we found that the issue was a common problem which no one came forward to express a concern about – many Asian communities didn't know how to deal with it or talk openly about the matter."

The county council report will be considered by the council's ruling cabinet.