Outrage as Somali parliament drafts law permitting child, forced marriages
Nairobi, Kenya/Garowe, SomaliaThomson Reuters Foundation Somalia’s parliament has sparked outrage by replacing long-awaited legislation to protect women and girls from violence with a new bill permitting child and forced marriage. The east African nation has high rates of child marriage and violence against women, including rape and female genital mutilation. The United Nations says 45 per […]
Sister of ‘honour killing’ victim urges Britain to ban child marriage
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A British woman whose sister was murdered in a so-called honour killing after being pushed into marriage as a teenager urged the government on Wednesday to outlaw all child marriage. Britain, which has been vocal about ending child marriage in developing countries, allows 16 and 17-year-olds in England and Wales to […]
Britain defends low rate of forced marriage prosecutions
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation British police defended the low rate of prosecutions for forced marriage on Monday, saying they were using other tools to protect potential victims without forcing them to testify against family members. The comments came as they prepared to guard against a spike in cases over the school summer holiday in July and […]
African nations urged to enforce family laws to protect women
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Women and girls in Africa are still being pushed into forced or early marriages, while those in unhappy unions face discrimination when seeking divorce, campaigners said on Tuesday, urging governments to enforce fairer family laws. The Solidarity for African Women’s Rights – a coalition of 50 groups – said while most […]
‘Black Widow’ gangs warned after El Salvador forced marriage bust
BogotaThomson Reuters Foundation Gangs in El Salvador who force women to wed only to kill their husbands for the life insurance are on notice after a top prosecutor won a landmark conviction of seven gangsters and said more cases were to come. State prosecutor Violeta Olivares, head of El Salvador’s anti-human trafficking unit, said the […]
Forced marriage cases reported in Britain jump to record high
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation The number of calls to a specialist British unit tackling forced marriage leapt to a record high last year, with nearly one in five involving a child aged under 16, data released on Friday showed. The Forced Marriage Unit dealt with 1,764 cases in 2018, a jump of 47 per cent on […]
UK stops charging forced marriage victims for rescue after outcry
Thomson Reuters Foundation British women saved from forced marriage abroad will no longer have to repay the government for the cost of their rescue, the Foreign Secretary said on Wednesday, after a public outcry. Women’s rights campaigners reacted angrily to revelations in the Times newspaper last week that the government was charging adult victims for […]
Britain failing forced marriage victims – campaigners
Thomson Reuters Foundation Britain is failing victims of forced marriage, campaigners said on Wednesday, after the government pledged to investigate reports women were being charged to be rescued. An investigation by Britain’s Times newspaper found adult victims were being made to pay for emergency repatriation, with those unable to cover the costs made to take […]
New anonymous tipoff system could cut forced marriage in Britain
Thomson Reuters Foundation Victims of forced marriage will be more likely to speak out after Britain said it would allow anonymous tipoffs to cut illegal immigration and help the thousands made to wed against their will, charities said on Wednesday. “We already have some of the toughest laws in the world against these crimes. But […]
Salvation Army welcome Australian initiative to support victims of forced marriage
The Salvation Army has welcomed an Australian Government announcement that victims of forced marriage will have access to support without the requirement they help bring the pertrators to justice. Under the initiative, the Federal Government will grant access of up to 200 days of support through its Support for Trafficked People Program without the requirement they […]