Supporting victims of forced marriage

Today, the Government launched a new handbook for survivors which offers practical help and information to help survivors take control of their lives.

Sandra Horley OBE, Chief Executive of national domestic violence charity Refuge:

“Refuge welcome’s the Government’s commitment to supporting women escaping forced marriages. We have been supporting them for many years and run refuges and community based support specifically for Asian women and children in Derby, Stoke, Richmond and Staffordshire.  Bi-lingual staff at these specialist services offer confidential support and safe accommodation for women fleeing domestic violence, forced marriage and issues of disownment by family and communities which relate to systems of honour and izzat.  Many of these women are fleeing for their lives and without our help they would have nowhere else to go. 

“Whilst we welcome today’s announcement, women and children need more.  Many women fleeing a forced marriage will have no access to housing, welfare benefits or publicly funded services such as refuges due to their insecure immigration status.  In some cases local authorities suggest the only solution to be putting children into care, rather than funding the more appropriate support available for both mother and child offered in a refuge.

“At the moment, Refuge, a charity, is absorbing costs of £150,000 per year so we can help women in this situation and this cost is rising every day.  If the Government is serious about supporting victims of forced marriages, funding for women with no recourse to public funds is vital. This is a human rights issue.  Advice is all very well and good but without access to state benefits and somewhere to go, how can women escape a forced marriage and rebuild their lives?”

For more information visit the Forced Marriage Unit or Home Office