Help against forced marriages

New laws have been recently introduced in Scotland to provide greater protection to victims.

A forced marriage is one where one or both participant are married without their consent or against their will and is different from an arranged marriage, where the family of the couple take a leading role in arranging the marriage and the couple consent to the wedding.

The new laws have been introduced which entail Forced Marriage Protection Orders, which can safeguard the rights of those involved and make it a criminal offence to breach the order.

There is also a freephone Forced Marriage Helpline on 0800 027 1234 which is free and confidential. It is also open 24 hours a day.