JAN Trust in the mainstream press with its work on forced marriages
“The majority of professionals, grass roots community workers and victims are against criminalisation, warning it will drive a hidden problem further underground, increase the risk of retaliation and more victims will be abandoned overseas. Pointing to the fact that there has never been a prosecution since Female Genital mutilation was outlawed in 2003, they want scarce resources targeted at education and prevention. …Research by the JAN Trust, a London based women’s charity, found that 85 per cent of 1,000 Pakistani women reported at least one forced marriage in their family. But, 77 per cent said they would not seek help from the police as this would lead to a complete break with their communities, and could even lead to violent retaliation as a result of the ‘shame’ bought on the family.”
UK forced marriage victims much younger than previously thought