Wazazi watakaolazimisha watoto kuolewa kufungwa jela

 

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.

But campaigners warn criminalising forced marriage altogether could deter victims from coming forward.

The new law is expected to distinguish between forced marriages where there is no consent and arranged marriages.

A Home Office consultation, which ended in March, was launched at the request of Prime Minister David Cameron, who has said forced marriage is "little more than slavery" and "completely wrong".

Existing laws

 

Mrs May is also expected to announce a £500,000 fund to help schools and other agencies spot early signs of a forced marriage.

And a government advertising campaign will highlight an individual person's right to choose who they marry.

A similar law was introduced in Scotland in November giving courts there the power to issue protection orders to those at risk, which if breached could carry a two-year prison sentence.

Since 2008, courts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been able to issue civil orders, under the Forced Marriage Act, to prevent forced marriage or protect victims.

This is an order in a civil court but its breach is punishable with a two-year jail sentence under contempt of court.

Opponents of the idea of criminalising forced marriages fear that victims would be dissuaded from coming forward because they do not want their relatives to end up with a criminal record. 

Mr Cameron said he had listened to these concerns and there would be a "comprehensive package to identify possible victims, support those who have suffered first hand and, indeed, prevent criminality wherever possible".

He added: "We have spent time with those who work tirelessly to raise and address this issue and I want to send a clear and strong message: forced marriage is wrong, is illegal and will not be tolerated."

BBC