A five-year-old girl is thought to be the UK's youngest known victim of forced marriage, according to figures from the government's Forced Marriage Unit. She was among 400 children who received assistance from the unit in the last year. The disclosure comes as the public consultation on criminalising forced marriage in England, Wales and Northern Ireland draws to a close.
Amy Cumming, joint head of the Forced Marriage Unit, said 29% of the cases it dealt with last year involved minors. "The youngest of these was actually five years old, so there are children involved in the practice across the school age range," she said. To protect the child, authorities have not disclosed details of the case or where the marriage took place.
The case comes as no surprise to the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO), which deals with more than 100 cases of forced marriage a year. "We have had clients who are in their very early teens, 11-year-olds, 12-year-olds, the youngest case we had was nine years old," said campaigns officer Fionnuala Murphy. IKWRO supports making forced marriage a criminal offence, arguing it would empower victims to "stand up to their parents and to stand up for their own rights".
Sameem Ali, who was forced to marry at 13, described her own ordeal. Taken to Pakistan by her mother on holiday, she discovered she was to marry a man twice her age whom she had never met. "The whole family turned up with an imam and they forced me into this marriage. I didn't really understand what was happening at the time," she said. After eight months of violent abuse, she returned to the UK pregnant at 14. She later fled the relationship and now helps young people at risk.
However, Sameem expressed concern that making forced marriage a criminal offence could deter victims from speaking out. "The young person will not come forward if it's a criminal offence. They will not stand up in court and testify against their parents," she said. In 2011 the Forced Marriage Unit dealt with around 1,500 cases, though many more are thought to go unreported.
Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said the government would consider all responses to the consultation before deciding on the best way to protect vulnerable people. "We are determined, working closely with charities and other organisations doing a tremendous amount in this area, to make forced marriage a thing of the past," she said.
