Forced Marriage of People with Learning Disabilities
People with learning disabilities and children are forced into marriage through harassment, trickery, assault, kidnapping and blackmail. The forced marriage is also often a precursor to domestic violence including rape. The motives behind forcing people with learning disabilities to marry include an effort to find a carer, a means of obtaining a visa and a belief that marriage will "cure" learning disabilities.
From our contact with professionals it is clear that forced marriages of people with learning disabilities are far from rare and are likely to make up a notable minority of the cases of forced marriage that occur every year.
This is an issue which the Ann Craft Trust is campaigning to bring to wider public attention and to improve official responses to.
Annette Brooke MP tabled Early Day Motion 1568 to highlight the issue of forced marriages of people with disabilities and to ask the Government to commission research into these forced marriages. In conjunction with Respond, Voice UK and Mencap, the Ann Craft Trust lobbied Members of Parliament to sign the EDM. Our briefing to MPs can be read here. This EDM received a large amount of support, being signed by 81 Members of Parliament.
Parliament recently debated the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Bill and we used this opportunity to highlight this hidden problem. Jo Swinson MP kindly tabled an amendment to the Bill to ensure the needs of people with learning disabilities are met when courts consider forced marriage cases and you can read our briefing on this amendment here. Our original evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights also described this serious issue and suggested reforms to public policy. Further information can be found in our main submission to the Joint Committee and in our supplemental evidence. This is an issue on which we are continuing to campaign.
We have also recently offered our suggestions on how the Forced Marriage Civil (Protection) Act can protect people with learning disabilities and you can read additional information on this by clicking here.
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