Forced marriage parents face jail under new laws
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18356117
Quote:
New laws are to be introduced by the home secretary to jail parents who force their children to marry.
Theresa May is due to outline how it will be a criminal offence in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland already has a forced marriage law.
Up to 8,000 young women a year are estimated to be forced into marriages without their consent.
The new law is expected to distinguish between forced marriages where there is no consent and arranged marriages.
But campaigners warn criminalising forced marriage altogether could deter victims from coming forward.
Some say that criminal law already provides punishment for offences that may be committed when coercing someone into matrimony.
"There is already plenty of criminal law to tackle murder, kidnapping, abduction, rape and all the other evil manifestations associated with forcing people into marriage against their will," said Lord Lester, who introduced the Forced Marriage Bill which led to the 2008 Act.
He stated that the family law approach was better than the criminal process which, he said, "has not proved to be an effective way of tackling a major social problem".
Shadow equalities minister Kate Green said she supported "appropriate criminal sanctions to stop more forced marriages and protect victims".
"The Home Office needs to ensure the framework adopted is effective rather than counter-productive," she added.
"Ministers need to demonstrate they are working with victims' groups and experts on the detail to make sure victims have the confidence to come forward and are not put off.
"Also, the legal framework won't make a difference without proper support, prevention, education and enforcement."
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IMO, it's a step forward, inasmuch as it sends a strong message that the law will not tolerate forced marriages ..... :pipe:
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