Forced marriages: Broken Vows

The wedding took place in Kashmir and lasted about 10 minutes. "The whole idea was for me to invite him to the UK to make lots of money," she says.

In Sonya's case, her parents were placed under a lot of cultural pressure to arrange the marriage. "It all seemed normal at first," she says. "I knew lots of girls who were taken abroad when they left school. On reflection my parents could have said no, but I realise now they were trapped and helpless as well."

Although Sonya was allowed to attend university and get a job when she returned to the UK, going out with friends was not allowed. And the emotional pressures of living with her husband's family in the UK led to her developing an eating disorder. After having nearly 8,000 taken from her earnings, she was beaten up by members of his family when she tried to leave. "A friend was visiting when they attacked me and called the police," explains Sonya. "My friend knew about the Y Stop refuge and contacted it. They gave me a nice room and my privacy."