Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for enacting legislation to provide financial relief under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 to victims of forced marriages whose religious marriages are not binding under UK law as outlined in section 121(4) of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
The Government is clear that forced marriage is a terrible form of abuse and that we will not allow political or cultural sensitivities to get in the way of tackling it.
However, the purpose of Part II of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 is to set out how the Court orders financial provision on the legal ending of marriage.
Since forced marriage was made a criminal offence in England and Wales in 2014, the Government has continued to introduce measures to protect victims, including lifelong anonymity in 2017. Last month, the Home Secretary launched a consultation to seek views on whether it is necessary to introduce a new legal mandatory reporting duty relating to cases of forced marriage. That consultation also seeks views on how the current guidance on forced marriage could be improved and strengthened.
The Government is committed to keeping this area of family justice under review.