Understanding Forced Marriage in Scotland

Date: 7th February 2017
Category: Children in situations of exploitation

A report on forced marriage published 30 January 2017 shows 1 in 10 of those known to the authorities in Scotland as being at risk of forced marriage are under 16.

This research was carried out to better understand forced marriage in Scotland, including professionals' understandings of forced marriage and potential legal responses, and barriers to working in this field. It was carried out by a collaboration between the University of Central Lancashire and Scottish Women's Aid, Shakti, Women's Aid (Edinburgh) and Hemat Gryffe Women's Aid (Glasgow).

The researched aimed to answer the following three questions:

1. What is the level and profile of service use relating to forced marriage in Scotland?
2. How are services responding to forced marriage in Scotland?
3. What is the impact of the interventions for forced marriage in Scotland?

The report sets out a series of recommendation arising from the research.