Domestic abuse

Forced marriage is where one or both people are pressured into a marriage against their wish and duress is used to enforce the marriage, forced marriage is classed as domestic violence.

Duress includes psychological, sexual, financial or emotional pressure and physical violence. This is not the same as an arranged marriage, where although the families of both spouses assist in arranging the marriage, the choice to accept remains with the couple.

Forced marriage can be classed as honour based violence which can include sexual violence, threats to kills, social ostracism, pressure to move abroad. The Crown Prosecution Service describes honour-based violence as an incident or crime “which has, or may have, been committed to protect or defend the ‘honour’ of the family and or the community.

Immediate guidance and support

• To spot the signs of honour based abuse and forced marriage, visit the Refuge: honour based violence webpage

 Support services

• Karma Nirvana - supports both male and female victims of honour crimes and forced marriages - Telephone: 0800 5999 247
• SupportLine - offers confidential and emotional support relating to forced marriage Telephone: 01708 765 200
• Reducing the Risk (link) has further information about forced marriage and support services.

For more support services, please visit our support for victims webpage.