The Government has launched a consultation, seeking views on whether forcing someone to marry should be a criminal offence or whether current arrangements provide adequate protection. It is also interested in views on what more could be done to prevent forced marriage from happening.

A forced marriage is a marriage in which one or both spouses do not (or, in the case of some vulnerable adults, cannot) consent to the marriage, but are coerced into it. The coercion can include physical, psychological, financial, sexual and emotional pressure. Victims of forced marriage can be both women and men and may often include children; and the marriages may take place in the UK or overseas.

The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 provides a specific civil remedy to prevent forced marriage and to assist victims where a marriage has already taken place – the Forced Marriage Protection Order (FMPO). Between November 2008 when the 2007 Act came into force and June 2011, 339 orders were recorded.

A breach of the order is currently dealt with as a civil contempt of court, punishable with a fine or a custodial sentence of up to two years’ imprisonment. The Government has now made a commitment to make breach of the FMPO a criminal offence.

The Government's consultation document is available here.