APPENDIX 79
Memorandum submitted by the Forced Marriage
Unit
BACKGROUND TO
FMU
The FCO Community Liaison Unit (CLU)
was established in October 2000 to co-ordinate forced marriage
casework and policy. This was an outcome of the "Choice by
Right" report of the working group on Forced marriage.
The joint Home Office—Foreign and
Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit replaced the CLU in 2005,
in order to allow a joint domestic and international response
to the issue.
FMU RESPONSIBILITIES
The FMU was designed as the government's
"one-stop shop" for forced marriage. Key work undertaken
by the unit includes:
— Consular assistance to victims
of forced marriage overseas.
— Advice to victims in the UK
and to agencies and NGOs handling forced marriage cases.
— Assistance for victims of
forced marriage being forced to sponsor their spouse's visa.
— Providing guidance for statutory
agencies—this will be placed on a statutory footing under
the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act.
— Training for statutory and
voluntary sector agencies on handling forced marriage cases.
— Outreach work to raise awareness
of forced marriage.
— Developing, in partnership
with other government departments, effective policy to tackle
forced marriage.
— Working with UK Embassies
and international partners to improve the global response to forced
marriage issues.
RESOURCES
The unit comprises of six staff, all
of whom handle casework. It is comprised of four FCO staff (one
of whom is funded by UKVisas), one external secondee with a background
in Domestic Violence and a Home Office policy advisor.
Last year the FMU had a non casework
project budget of £167,000.
CROSS-GOVERNMENT
LINKS
The FMU works closely with the Domestic
Violence unit of the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police
Officers (ACPO) and the Association of Directors of Social Services
(ADSS). They have daily contact with police forces and social
service departments from across the country.
The FMU also works closely with other
line ministries including the Department for Children, Schools
and Families (DCSF), the Department for Communities and Local
Government (DCLG) and the Ministry of Justice, who are leading
on the implementation of the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection)
Act.
VOLUNTARY SECTOR
PARTNERSHIP
The FMU works closely with a range of
NGOs who work on this issue. One example of this co-operation
is that the FMU, with Karma Nirvana, has developed a "Survivor's
Network" for victims of forced marriage, which will be launched
in April 2008.
CASE WORK
In 2007 the FMU handled approximately
400 forced marriage cases. 168 of these were overseas assistance
cases, where the unit intervened to assist victims or potential
victims of forced marriage. A number of these resulted in rescue
and repatriation back to the UK.
In addition the FMU works closely with
visa officials in dealing with cases of reluctant sponsors. Reluctant
sponsors are individuals who have been forced to marry and are
now being forced to sponsor a visa application for their spouse.
The FMU works closely with these individuals and UK Visas to try
and prevent the applicant from gaining settlement.
65% of the FMU's cases are from Pakistan
and 15% are from Bangladesh. 15% of our cases involve a male and
30% of our cases involve minors.
MINISTERIAL INFORMATION
The FMU is a joint FCO and HO unit. The
unit's Minister's are Meg Munn (FCO) and Vernon Coaker (HO).
Bridget Prentice is responsible for the
implementation of the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act.
There is an Inter Ministerial Group on
Domestic Violence which sit quarterly. Membership of the group
is outlined below.
|
| Department | Minister
|
|
| Chair (HO) | Vernon Coaker
|
| MoJ | Bridget Prentice
|
| CLG | Baroness Andrews
|
| FCO | Meg Munn
|
| DCSF | Beverley Hughes
|
| SG Office | Vera Baird
|
| AG Office | Baroness Scotland
|
| Government Equalities Office / Ministers for Women
| Harriet Harman |
| DoH | Dawn Primarolo
|
| NIO | Paul Goggins
|
| NAW | Dr Brian Gibbons
|
| DWP | Barbara Follett
|
| HMT | Angela Eagle
|
|
WORK WITH
SCHOOLS
— Teachers are often one of the key sources
by which the forced marriage unit receives information about cases.
They are in a position of trust with their students and are an
invaluable help to the work of the unit.
— 30% of the cases handled by the Forced
Marriage Unit involve minors and schools are therefore a key partner
in tackling this issue. The Forced Marriage Unit released Guidelines
for Education Professionals in 2005, which have been used by schools
across the country to help spot the signs that can indicate a
forced marriage case. FMU's posters and other material are available
to schools on request.
— We are currently working with DCSF to write
directly to schools reinforcing messages about their responsibilities
and to ensure they are aware of material currently available.
We have also committed to working with DCSF on the design of materials
specifically for schools.
FORCED MARRIAGE
(CIVIL PROTECTION)
ACT
— The Act provides measures to the courts
to prevent forced marriages from occurring. The courts will have
the power to make Forced Marriage Protection Orders to stop someone
from forcing another person into marriage. The courts will have
a wide discretion in the type of injunctions they will be able
to make to enable them to respond effectively to the individual
circumstances of the case and prevent or pre-empt forced marriages
from occurring.
— Where a forced marriage has taken place,
they would also be able to make orders to protect the victim and
help remove them from that situation. Where there was significant
risk of harm either to the intended victim or to somebody else
in connection with the intended marriage, the court could add
a power of arrest.
— Breach of an injunction would not itself
be a criminal offence, but it would be a contempt of court and
courts would have the full range of sanctions available to them,
including imprisonment.
— The Act also allows courts to attach powers
of arrest to orders so that if a person breaches an order he may
be arrested and brought back to the original court to consider
the alleged breach. This applies to anyone who is alleged to have
breached the order, not just the original person named on the
order.
— Enable people to apply for an injunction
at the county courts, rather than just the high courts.
— Enable third parties to apply for an injunction
on behalf of somebody else.
KEY FMU PRIORITIES
FOR 2008-09
— Work with Department for Children, Schools
and Families to ensure the safeguarding of young and vulnerable
people at risk of forced marriage.
— Re-issuing of the FMU guidelines for professional
agencies on a statutory footing.
— Working in partnership with statutory agencies
to improve training for front-line workers handling forced marriage
cases.
— Work with the Ministry of Justice and the
cross-government Honour-Based Violence Steering Group on the implementation
of the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act.
— Work to ensure that MPs are aware of the
issue of Forced Marriage.
— Continue and develop partnerships with
governments and NGOs overseas to enhance the assistance that we
can offer to British nationals at risk of forced marriage overseas.
— Developing, in partnership with other bodies,
targeted "community outreach" to improve grass-roots
messaging and to outreach to non South Asian communities.
— Working with the immigration agencies to
ensure continued appropriate handling of immigration cases involving
forced marriage.
April 2008
| 
