protection for children at risk, asks Kirsten Anderson, legal research and policy manager at Coram Children's Legal Centre.
According to legal provisions that came into effect last month under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, forced marriage now constitutes a criminal offence in England. The Home Office defines forced marriage as occurring when "one or both spouses do not consent to the marriage but are coerced into it" through means that can include "physical, psychological, financial, sexual and emotional pressure". Forced marriages affect a significant number of children and young people. According to the Home Office, of the 1,302 cases of possible forced marriage that it identified in 2013, in cases in which age was known, 15 per cent of victims were under 16 years and 25 per cent were aged 16 to 17 years.
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