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New law to prevent forced marriage Legislation aimed at protecting the victims of forced marriages and preventing them from taking place has received Royal Assent. Under the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act, where a forced marriage has or is about to take place, courts will be able to make orders to protect the victim or the potential victim and help remove them from that situation. The courts will have a wide discretion in the type of injunctions they will be able to make to enable them to respond effectively to the individual circumstances of the case and prevent or pre-empt forced marriages from occurring. Furthermore, courts will be able to attach powers of arrest to orders so that if someone breaches an order they can be arrested and brought back to the original court to consider the alleged breach. The Act will also: • Enable people to apply for an injunction at the county courts, rather than just the high courts; • Enable third parties to apply for an injunction on behalf of somebody else. If you are being forced into marriage, or you know of someone being forced into marriage, please contact the police. |