APPENDIX 58
Memorandum submitted Anonymously
I was listening to radio 4 this morning
and heard your interview regarding young women "lost"
to the education system and at risk of forced marriage.
My mother was on the board of govenors
of a school in the north of England in the 70 & 80s. This
issue is one she discussed at table with us throughout this period,
she was deeply concerned as she felt no-one cared and if raised
it was passed off in relation to the Asian Community as "cultural".
Whilst local authorities may be aware
of those that are missing currently I wonder how many young women
have gone missing from the system over the 20 to 30 years since
my mother raised this.
As a woman my mother believed in the
power of education and was passionate about the rights of women
to determine their futures and was frustrated constantly by the
way this issue was not addressed or ignored. Had she heard your
interview this morning she would have said "at last"—sadly
she has died before the opportunity has come up.
My mothers understanding of this suggested
that families often took young women on extended hokidays to the
home country, six months or so and when this period had elapsed
there was no trail for the school or authority to follow up. If
the girl returned, fine, if not there was no trail for anyone
to follow—the solution may be something could be as simple
as when permission for such breaks is put in place by the school
or local authority it is condidtional on keeping in touch through
a consulate or e-mail. This could be applied simply across all
communities who do this including those from Europe or S.America
so as not to "punish" one community.
March 2008
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