1. Cross-government definition of domestic violence consultation

In 2010 there were 1735 instances where the FMU gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage.

There were 70 instances involving those with disabilities (50 with learning disabilities, 17 with physical disabilities and 3 with both), and 36 instances involving victims who identified themselves as Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual Transgender (LGBT).

Of the 1735 instances, 86 per cent were female and 14 per cent male.

If you are worried you might be forced into marriage or are worried about a friend or relative  call the FMU  on 0207 008 0151.

The 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

Please log onto the FMU website for further information www.fco.gov.uk there are a number of publications on the website that you can download.

10 March 2011

Overseas spouses and partners of UK residents who are forced to flee their relationships as a result of domestic violence will be able to access vital support services, the Home Secretary has announced.

At present, some pertners feel they have to stay in abusive relationships because they are in the UK on a spousal visa and have 'no recourse to public funds', meaning that they cannot access support services during the 2-year probationary period before they can apply for settlement.

Following a successful pilot project, these victims will be able to access services to ensure that they do not need to remain in violent relationships. Access to these services will be for a strictly limited period while the victim gathers evidence and makes a claim for residence based on the domestic violence, and while the UK Border Agency considers the application.

Home Secretary Theresa May said:

'We are clear that no one should be forced to stay in an abusive relationship. Earlier this week I set out detailed plans for tackling all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, in this country and overseas.

'We have always said we will support the small number of spouses who must leave their relationship and are unable to access any support services. However, we are very clear there will be tough checks in place to ensure this system is not abused by those seeking to stay in the country where they do not have the right to.'

Victims of domestic violence in the UK on a spousal visa can currently access some support services via a pilot programme known as the Sojourner Project, which has operated since November 2009. Between December 2009 and January 2011, 587 women and 358 children have been supported through the pilot. The permanent plan will come into effect next year. Sojourner can be contacted on 0207 840 7147.

The Government has also reached a decision regarding a permanent solution to financial support for victims of domestic violence on Spouse visas with NRPF. From the 1st April 2012 victims of domestic violence who entered the UK on a Spouse Visa will have access to public funds for a limited period. They will receive benefits for five weeks while they prepare and submit their application for Indefinite Leave to Remain under the Domestic Violence Rule and a further five weeks while the application is being considered by the UKBA. Up to April 2012, The Sojourner Project will continue in its current arrangements. For more information, see: http://tinyurl.com/37mjkk5

Taken from Guardian 1st July 2010 

Men in some communities are being forced into marriage because their families suspect they are gay or bisexual, the government has revealed.

The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) says there has been a surge in such cases. Over the past year, the number of calls from men to the unit increased by 65%, from 134 in 2008 to 220 in 2009. Experts believe the figures are only the "tip of the iceberg", as the issue tends to be under-reported for both sexes.

In all, 1,682 forced marriages were reported to the FMU – a joint Home Office/Foreign Office body – last year. Of those, the calls suggest, 14% involved a man being forced into a union. But the unit believes the true figure may be as high as one in five.

Most victims are aged from 15 to 24, but the FMU recently received a call to its helpline from a 62-year-old widower whose family was trying to force him to marry a 35-year-old woman because they no longer wanted to care for him. Cases also include an underaged man taken to Pakistan and forcibly engaged to his five-year-old cousin.

Most calls come from men linked to Pakistan, followed by India and Bangladesh. But it has also received calls from British men with links to the Middle East, Africa and eastern Europe.

According to the FMU, such incidents traditionally increase during the summer, when holidays abroad are taken.

"Professionals and communities can be very intolerant towards men being forced into marriage, even if they have learnt to be sympathetic to women in the same situation," said the spokesman for the FMU. "It can be hard to persuade people to believe it even happens."

"But the threats to these young men are very real. We received a call recently from a young man taken to Pakistan. He didn't know he was going to be married, and when he refused, he was locked in a room. Every day, his father came in to beat him – we're talking broken legs and sexual abuse."

While the vast majority (86%) of victims it sees are female, the FMU says men are being forced into marriage because they are gay or bisexual, or because their families suspect that they are. It can also be a result of family commitments to relatives abroad or their own expectations, securing visas or an attempt to control their son's behaviour or protect a family's reputation.

"This kind of abuse must not be tolerated," said Lynne Featherstone, the equalities minister.

Just two weeks ago, the FMU took a call from a young man living in Leicester whose family had locked him in his bedroom after discovering that he was gay. He told the FMU that his family were downstairs, discussing whether they should take him to India and either kill him, abandon him there or marry him off.

The Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity for homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual young people, recently reported a rise in the number of young gay Muslims contacting it for help.

By the end of May, there had been 88 calls to the FMU from men for help. "Boys and men who are forced into marriage find it harder to ask for help than women," said Jeremy Browne, the Foreign Office minister for consular policy. "Of course, women make up the majority of forced marriage victims, and over 1,400 reports of women facing this abuse were dealt with by the FMU last year. But people often don't realise that men can be victims of forced marriage too."

Men and women who have been forced into marriage, or who fear they are about to be forced, can apply for a forced marriage protection order. Since their introduction in 2008, more than 150 orders, which can also be applied for by others acting on a person's behalf, have been taken out.

The celebration and launch will take place at 5.30pm on 23^rd April 2010 at King Street Chambers  

Pegasus Scholarship 

Nadia will be spending three months in Bangladesh with Nari Uddag Kendra.  This is a non-government organisation in Bangladesh that liaises with the United Kingdom's Forced Marriages Unit, working with victims of this form of domestic and child abuse. 

The Pegasus Trust awards scholarships annually “to make it possible for gifted young lawyers – the future leaders of their profession – to learn about the practical working of the common law system in countries other than their own.” Chambers is proud of Nadia's achievement in being chosen to receive one of these prestigious awards. Nadia's experience in working in Bangladesh will not only help to forge links between United Kingdom and Bangladeshi lawyers but will also equip her to deal sensitively and effectively with forced marriage issues in the United Kingdom. 

Break Free 

Break Free is a voluntary group which was developed in November 2009 and is led by H.O.P.E Training & Consultancy. It is committed to raising awareness on Forced Marriages, Honour Based Violence and Female Genital Mutilation. It has produced and developed a leaflet on these issues which will be showcased at this Launch.  For more information on this group please contact Meena Kumari on admin@hopetraining.co.uk.   

Please contact Tanya Beck, Chambers Administrator by 19^th March 2010 and let her know if you are attending on tbeck@kingstreetchambers.com or t: 0116 254 7710 

Celebrate Success UK final 2009-10

The Prince’s Trust honoured young people who have changed their lives with the support of The Trust and recognised those who have played an exceptional role in supporting our work at an Oscar-style ceremony on Monday 1st March 2010.  

True Story: Forced Marriages and Honour Based Violence

This group, all from different cultures and backgrounds, had little self-esteem and their expectations for the future were low. They were all unemployed and decided that they should pull together to do something positive in their community.

In Leicester the issues of forced marriages and domestic violence are important. All the young people involved wanted to raise awareness of these issues to educate others.

With the help of a Community Cash Award, they decided to organise a national conference on forced marriages and honour based violence.

The conference was attended by many different people. It was a great success and the group were able to inform the public of why these issues occur and how everyone can work together to prevent them happening.

Afterwards, the group decided to produce a DVD which is now used to further educate the local community. They gained many new skills during this process and were proud of the outcome. They are now all applying to go onto further education.

For Further details please see http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/case_study_2009-10/forced_marriages.aspx 

This conference also showed a play on Forced Marriages and Honour Based Violence- This play was a huge success! The story show cased a dynamic relationship between a brother called Sunny and his sister called Mya. To know more about this Play and book for your own conference please log onto http://www.spanielworks.co.uk/.

Feed back from this year's conference was excellent and a number of people whom attended would be taking something back to thier organisation that they can use.

H.O.P.E would like to thank Arts Council England for supporting the Play and Leicestershire Constabulary for sponsoring the event.

Pictures from the Conference are below, these pictures were taken by Ash Rana who can be contacted via H.O.P.E. Pictures below included, Minister Bridget Prentice, Anne-Marie Hutchinson, Dr Aisha Gill, DI Pete Williams, Meena Kumari, Actors from Spaniel in Works, Liz Collins, Sheila Lock and Delegates from the 2009 Conference

Welldone All who where involved with H.O.P.E on the DVD and Conference Project!

This training has raised more awareness on these issues and allowed professionals to see the signs and know where to refer victims of domestic abuse.

The revised guidelines replace the existing individual guidelines which were tailored for specific professionals and now brings these together into one single document.

To gain access to this publication please click here http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/3849543/forced-marriage-guidelines09.pdf

To access a BBC News Report on this please click here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8129466.stm