Written question asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Triesman (Labour) on Wednesday, 28 June 2006.

Forced Marriages

Question: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 20 June (WA 73–4), what is the best practice and what are the guidelines for tackling the problem of forced and child marriages; and what practical support they will give forced marriage victims who bring private prosecutions.

Answer: The Forced Marriage Unit sees best practice on forced marriage as focusing on prevention, protection and service provision to victims of forced marriage, while maintaining confidentiality where possible. The Forced Marriage Unit works within guidelines for domestic violence and child protection and in cases involving children or young people we work closely with social care services. We have produced specific guidelines on handling forced marriage cases for police, social care services and education professionals, to which the noble Lord might wish to refer, and are developing guidance for health professionals. These are available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/forcedmarriage. Our best practice in handling casework is supported by work to raise awareness and develop appropriate policies and is underpinned by continuous programmes of research. In cases where an individual wishes to pursue a criminal prosecution, we work closely with police, the Crown Prosecution Service and voluntary organisations to provide the support and protection needed. Many police forces do not currently collect statistics of prosecutions related to forced marriage cases, but over the past 12 months the Metropolitan Police have recorded 101 allegations of crimes relating to forced marriage.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 6573; 683 c160WA
Session: 2005-06
Related items: Forced Marriages
Monday, 9 October 2006
Written questions
House of Lords; Forced Marriages
Tuesday, 20 June 2006
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Children Forced marriage Private prosecutions
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk