Forced Marriage
In 2012 alone, the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) provided advice and support to 1,485 possible forced marriage cases. It is understood that forced marriage is still underreported and the scale of the problem is likely to be much greater.
There is a clear distinction between an arranged and forced marriage. An arranged marriage is entered freely by both parties, although their families take a leading role in the choice of the partner. It becomes a forced marriage when there is any form of duress.
Honour Killings
Honour based abuse is a form of domestic abuse which is perpetrated in the name of so called ‘honour’. It is often linked to family members or acquaintances who believe someone has brought shame on their family by doing something that is not in keeping with the traditional beliefs of their culture.
Women and girls are the most common victims of honour based violence however it can also affect men and boys.
Crimes of ‘honour’ do not always include violence. Crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’ might include:
- domestic abuse
- threats of violence
- sexual or psychological abuse
- forced marriage
- being held against your will or taken somewhere you don’t want to go
- assault
Useful resources and training
Find out more about forced marriage and what protection, advice and support is available.
The Safer Devon Partnership Exploitation Toolkit provides information to help professionals and volunteers understand, identify and report signs of exploitation.
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