July was an eventful month, with JAN Trust attending a number of high profile events as well as maintaining a presence in the media, including a story of our work with a perpetrator and her eventual reformation. This was featured in the Evening Standard, she is repentant over her actions stating “I look back on this …
We conducted a survey in a bustling high street in central London on the 7th July to gauge public opinion on forced marriages and the new law criminalising forced marriages via the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Act 2014. 85% of participants had an idea of what a forced marriage was and what it entails. This …
Forcing someone to marry is now illegal in England and Wales leaving perpetrators who coerce victims into marriage facing up to 7 years in prison. Although David Cameron argues that ‘forced marriage is abhorrent and little more than slavery… to force anyone into marriage against their will is simply wrong and that is why we …
Early last month, ITV aired an episode called ‘Forced to Marry’ as part of their TV series called ‘Exposure’. The episode followed two undercover reporters as they approached 56 masjid (mosques) in the UK asking whether they would agree to perform the marriage of a 14 year old girl. The majority, 67% (38), refused and …
We over here at the JAN Trust are launching an online fundraising campaign in order raise money for our Against Forced Marriages project. Forced marriages affect some of the most vulnerable people in the UK from very marginalised and non-mainstream communities, and often these individuals find it very difficult to seek help. Statistics from the Forced Marriage …
The British government recently warned local authorities and front line staff – including those at airports – to be aware of the increased risk of forced marriage during the summer holidays. Summer holidays are a prime time for British girls to be taken abroad to be forced into marriage and hundreds of suspected victims disappear …
They might have a slight difference but essentially, aren’t they the same thing? The answer is a resounding “NO”. ‘Forced’ and ‘Arranged’ marriages are two entirely different practices and should be treated as such. The terms are often used interchangeably which results in confusion over the distinction between the two. It is important to clear …
On Friday 28th June we again visited the Hornsey School for Girls; we were invited to support the launch of their Early & Forced Marriage Launch Event, organised by Year 10 students as part of their GCSE coursework. We had worked with the students before; we delivered our outreach workshops when they were starting their …
On International Women’s Day, women around the world join together in celebration of the strength of women. Since 1908 this has been a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world without regard to their national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political differences; with this year the theme focusing on ending violence against …
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in its recent annual report stated, “At least 943 women were killed in the name of honour in the country, of which 93 were minors.” While, reliable worldwide estimates of honour killing incidences do not exist, a UN study in 2000 suggested there were as many as 5,000 …
