UK helpline for victims of forced marriages

Faced with increasing incidents of forced marriages and 'honour killings' in the Asian community, the British government has set up new national helpline to help potential victims.

The helpline, called the 'Honour Network', will be run by the charity organisation Karma Nirvana. It is a dedicated forced marriage and honour-based violence helpline, staffed by survivors offering emotional and practical support.

"This helpline is a big step in the fight to raise awareness of the issues of forced marriage and honour-based violence and is crucial in giving victims across the country the confidence to come forward," home office minister Vernon Coaker said while launching the helpline.

"We recognise that the scale of these issues remains unknown and much of the problem stays underground. We are determined across government to continue engaging with local communities and taking action to protect victims to put an end to this appalling practice," he added.

Many youths were reportedly lured to go on 'holiday' to countries in south Asia by family members, and then forced to marry against their will. Refusal or resistance has often led to violence, including murder.

The foreign office has a dedicated Forced Marriage Unit to deal with such incidents in the Indian sub-continent. Set up in 2005, it handles 5,000 enquiries and up to 400 cases per year.

"The 'Honour Network' is designed for victims, survivors or potential victims of honour-based crimes to reassure them that they are victims, not perpetrators," Jasvinder Sanghera, founder of Karma Nirvana said.

"It is designed to identify survivors to help support each other. The helpline will be manned by survivors themselves helping people take a stand against these crimes," Sanghera added.

The Forced Marriages Unit has offices in the Indian sub-continent, where it also launches 'rescue operations' for British Asians.

The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act will be implemented in the autumn. Courts will be able to make orders to prevent forced marriages and protect victims.

Guidelines produced by the Forced Marriage Unit in co-operation with other government departments, for groups working with forced marriage victims, including the police, social services, health and education professionals, will be placed on a statutory footing.