Simon Reevell MP welcomes the Government's consultation on criminalising forced marriage
Posted by Simon Reevell, MP for Dewsbury, at 11:32, Wed 14 December 2011:
Simon Reevell, the Member of Parliament for Dewsbury, welcomes the launch of a Government consultation on the criminalisation of forced marriage.
The consultation was launched on 12 December 2011 and it follows the announcement on 10 October 2011 by the Prime Minister that the Government would criminalise the breach of Forced Marriage Prevention Orders. These orders block forced marriages from going ahead and protect potential victims.
Although many cases of forced marriage go unreported, the Government’s Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support on 1,735 instances in 2010 alone. During the year, the youngest victim of forced marriage was just 12 and the oldest was 73.
Simon said, “I am glad that the Government is examining how we can criminalise forced marriage while ensuring that we do not discourage victims from coming forward.”
“We need to eradicate this unacceptable crime which is why I support this tough stance.”
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