Author: Council of Europe Steering Committee for Human Rights
Publication: December 2017

The Steering Committee for Human Rights of the Council of Europe has published a report entitled Guide to Good and Promising Practices Aimed at Preventing and Combating Female Genital Mutilation and Forced Marriage. The report is intended to raise awareness of the issues; reinforce National and European legal frameworks and the cooperation between member States; and ensure coherent policies and better implementation of legislative efforts aimed at ending the practices.

Author: Tahirih Justice Center

Publication: June 01, 2016

This report on the June 2016 national consultation on the question of forced marriage criminalization illustrates the complexity of forced marriage cases and details advocates’ diverse perspectives on the potential risks and benefits of making forced marriage a criminal offense in the United States. The meeting was organized by the Forced Marriage Initiative at the Tahirih Justice Center and brought together 30 participants from across the United States.

During this webinar, two American child marriage survivors share their stories, highlighting the vulnerabilities and challenges they faced. Experts from the Tahirih Justice Center and Greater Boston Legal Services also share guidance on:

• Red flags and warning signs of forced marriage
• Collaborative strategies to assist minors to avoid or delay a forced marriage
• Creative legal approaches to preventing the forced marriage of minors
• Privacy protection and tech safety planning
• Preventing travel overseas if a forced marriage is imminent or suspected

This webinar was presented as part of the Forced Marriage Initiative’s Quarterly Webinar Series on December 12, 2016.

*This webinar is not publicly available. Please contact us at FMI@tahirih.org for more information.

Author: Tahirih Justice Center

While not all individuals who face forced marriage are also at risk of FGM/C, and not all survivors of FGM/C will experience forced marriage, the two harms can intersect. This resource outlines the intersectionality of forced marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting and shares information on Tahirih Justice Center legal and social services for survivors or those at risk of these forms of harm.

During this webinar, a panel including both U.K. government and NGO service providers and advocates shared their reflections on the impact that criminalizing forced marriage has had since 2014. Topics discussed included how criminalization has impacted survivor safety and decision making, community awareness and attitudes, and professionals’ knowledge of and responsiveness to forced marriage cases.

Presenters included:

Marai Larasi, the Executive Director of Imkaan, a U.K.-based organization dedicated to addressing violence against Black, Asian, minority ethnic, and refugee women and girls. She has worked in the ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) field for over two decades and has developed and led cutting edge services and programs which address violence against marginalized women and girls.

Priya Chopra, the Chief Executive of Saheli, a Manchester, U.K.-based organization working to assist and protect immigrant victims of violence. Saheli worked with the U.K. government to develop multi-agency guidelines for frontline professionals on how to respond to forced marriage cases. Saheli also collaborates with community partners to document and report on incidences of gender-based violence and survivors’ willingness and ability to access services and help from the authorities.

Chaz Akoshile, the joint head of the U.K. Forced Marriage Unit (FMU), a joint Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Home Office Unit.  The FMU operates a public helpline, providing confidential advice and support to victims and professionals with responsibility for safeguarding children and protecting adults from the abuses associated with forced marriage. Chaz worked extensively to ensure that the forced marriage legislative proposals in England and Wales successfully completed their parliamentary passage – the new offenses were introduced in June 2014.