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Forced Marriage consultation questions
The issue of forced marriages has been in and out of the spotlight in recent years. For so long, campaigners have called for the government to take a lead in criminalising forced marriage.
In November 2011, a new law was implemented in Scotland which protects people from being married against their will. The news was welcomed by victims of forced marriages as they will have greater help and protection from the law. The new legislation gives courts the power to issue protection orders to those at risk and breach of such orders could result in a two-year prison sentence.
The Government’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) in 2010 found 1735 instances where the FMU gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage. On top of this, charity Karma Nirvana revealed they receive on around 5,000 calls a year from victims and survivors of forced marriage and honour-based abuse.
The Home Office recently launched a 12-week consultation seeking public opinion on whether a specific criminal offence should be created to combat forced marriage and, if so, how it would be formulated. The consultation also seeks to public opinion on how the government might implement breaches of the civil Forced Marriage Protection Orders.
Karma Nirvana’s founder Jasvinder Sangera has been campaigning tirelessly for a number of years and is supporting the consultation.
As an organisation which has continued to tackle the issue and make people aware of it, Karma Nirvana’s mission is to stop the scandal of forced marriage and honour-based violence.
OBV readers are being encouraged to assist in the consultation by clicking on the link below and answering the questions which could go some way to help in the efforts to change and combat the issue of forced marriage.
KARMA NIRVANA FORCED MARRIAGE CONSULTATION QUESTSIONS
Deadline to respond to the consultation questions is 10th February 2012.
Karma Nirvana will also be hosting a small number of public consultations across the country. If you would like to find out more about these, please contact Natasha Rattu 0113 218 0114.
Rhona Asmah