A ‘forced marriage’ occurs when a person is pressured into a marriage they do not consent to, or cannot consent to due to age or disability. A ‘forced marriage’ not the same as an ‘arranged marriage’, where families take a leading role in choosing the marriage partner, however the marriage itself is freely entered into by both parties. The Domestic Violence Act 2018 came into force on 1 January 2019, and criminalises the act of forcing someone to enter into a ceremony of marriage, or removing a person from the State for such purposes.
Indicators of a forced marriage could include:
- Absence and persistent absence at school
- Fear about forthcoming school holidays
- Surveillance by siblings or cousins at school
- Decline in behaviour, engagement, performance or punctuality
- Poor exam results
- Being withdrawn from school by those with parental responsibility
- Not allowed to attend extra-curricular activities
- Sudden announcement of engagement to a stranger
- Prevented from going on to further/higher education
- Request for extended leave of absence and failure to return from visits to country of origin
- Victim or other siblings within the family reported missing
- Reports of domestic abuse, harassment or breaches of the peace at the family home
- Female genital mutilation
- The victim reported for offences e.g. shoplifting or substance misuse
- Threats to kill and attempts to kill or harm
- Reports of other offences such as rape or kidnap
