Forced marriage calls to ChildLine rise

The NSPCC has reported that the number of children ringing ChildLine because they are worried they might be forced into a marriage by members of their family has almost trebled in the last three years, with the number of calls rising from 55 calls a year in 2011 to 141 in 2013. From Monday 16th June 2014 it will now be a criminal offence to use violence, threats or any other form of coercion for the purpose of causing another person to enter into a forced marriage. There will be a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment for committing a forced marriage offence.

The NSPCC have created a short animated film to educate children on the subject of forced marriages and to highlight the change in the law. The video can be viewed here.