What is the law on forced marriage? Until recently, the government appeared resistant to developing legislation specific to forced marriage. However, the numbers of cases brought to the attention of the Forced Marriage Unit made it clear that further action had to be taken, and in 2005 the unit published a consultation paper asking if forced marriage should be made a criminal offence.
Is it a criminal offence? No. Many respondents to that paper feared that such a response could drive the problem further underground. A different solution was developed, and the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act passed in 2007. Multi-agency guidance to that Act is now out for consultation.
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