We must be very clear: these forced marriages are both socially and morally wrong. What they amount to, if not modern-day slavery, is at the very least forced rape of a minor.
A government forced marriage poster in Bengali and English
With figures released by the Department of Education this week showing that at least 8,000 young girls, whom the authorities know about, and, more importantly, admit to, are each year forced against their will into marriage, it seems that slavery is still very much in existence in modern Britain.
The problem, of course, is that the vast majority of these children are of Muslim or Hindu backgrounds, meaning that our government, and the local authorities, are too scared to speak out in case they offend or cause upset to their multicultural dream.
Although the vast majority – 86% – of the children involved are girls, some as young as nine, there are enough reports of boys also being forced into marriage to give more cause for concern. If and when these children refuse the marriage, often to adults or family members from their original country of origin whom they have never met and who are often at least twice their age, they are forced into it by parents who refused to be ‘shamed’.
Those who do successfully escape the horror of a forced marriage are ostracised by their relatives forever, or, worse, become the victims of ‘honour’ crimes, including violence, sexual assault and murder.
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