Forced marriage

Forced Marriage Unit

Our Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) is a joint-initiative with the Home Office. In 2011 there were 1468 instances where the FMU gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage. There were 66 instances involving those with disabilities (56 with learning disabilities, 8 with physical disabilities and 2 with both), and 10 instances involving victims who identified themselves as LGBT. Of the 1468 instances, 78 per cent were female and 22 per cent male.

Who do we help?

If you are worried you might be forced into marriage or are worried about a friend or relative see information for victims, or call us on 0207 008 0151.

Our trained professionals offer confidential advice and assistance to:

those who have been forced into marriage
those at risk of being forced into marriage
people worried about friends or relatives
professionals working with actual or potential victims of forced marriage.

What do we do?

Abroad, we work with embassy staff to rescue victims who may have been held captive, raped, forced into a marriage or into having an abortion.

In the UK the FMU assists actual and potential victims of forced marriage, as well as professionals working in the social, educational and health sectors. See our pages on information for professionals and information for victims for more information.