Ask the Expert: Forced marriage concerns

I work in a South Asian young women’s group. There has been a lot of gossip around two of the girls; claims that one is seeing an English boy and the other is being forced to visit family to find a husband. What should I do?

Unfortunately, these issues are increasingly becoming part of young women’s lives and I would never ignore conversations about them. Young women may be concerned because they hear about stories in the media or because it has happened to family members or friends. However, you never know whether they are fearful about their own situation or about forthcoming holidays or family meetings.

You should introduce the young women, as a matter of course, to charities that work to protect young women from forced marriages and dishonour-related violence and crime. These include Karma Nirvana (www.karmanirvana.org.uk) and Freedom Charity (freedomcharity.org.uk), which has a phone app offering information, help and advice. There are also plenty of resources from Unicef, Women’s Aid, and Plan (www.plan-uk.org).

Answered by Tracie Trimmer-Platman, senior lecturer in youth and community work at the University of East London