'Honour crimes' & forced marriage
- In 2004, the Metropolitan Police decided to re-open 114 murder cases from the previous decade, which they now think may be so-called ‘honour’ killings (Metropolitan Police, 2004).
- The Forced Marriage Unit in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office deals with approximately 250 forced marriage cases each year. Approximately 85% of these are female (Forced Marriage Unit, Foreign and Commonwealth Office).
- Reunite International estimate that 1,000 British Asian girls are forced into marriage each year (National Union of Teachers, Silence is not always Golden, 2005).
Resources
Forced Marriage: the risk factors and the effect of raising the minimum age for a sponsor, and of leave to enter the UK as a spouse or fiance(e) M Hester et al, 2008
Forced Marriage Survivor'S Handbook , Forced Marriage Unit
Forced Marriage Civil Protection Bill: Response to the consultation on amendments to family law act (Newham Asian Women Project) March 2007
Selected International Human Rights Materials addressing 'Crimes of Honour'
'Community Perceptions of Forced Marriage' Y Samad and J Eade for the Community Liaison Unit, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.