Forced Marriage & Honour Based Violence

Definition

A marriage in which one or both spouses do not (or in the case of some adults with learning or physical disabilities or children, cannot) consent to the marriage and duress is involved. Duress can include physical, psychological, financial and sexual pressure.

A Forced Marriage is different from an arranged marriage, which is a marriage entered into freely by both parties, although their families take a leading role in the choice of partner.

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 made it a criminal offence (which can result in a sentence of up to 7 years in prison) to force someone to marry.

Offences include:

Taking someone overseas to force them to marry (whether or not the forced marriage takes place);
Marrying someone who lacks the Mental Capacity to consent to the marriage (whether they’re pressured to or not).

Honour Based Violence (HBV) is a term used to describe violence committed within the context of the extended family which is motivated by a perceived need to restore standing within the community, which is presumed to have been lost through the behaviour of the victim.

Wider Resources