"...A forced marriage differs from an arranged marriage, in which both parties consent to the assistance of their parents or a third party..."

There is a clear distinction between a forced marriage and an arranged marriage. In arranged marriages, the families of both spouses take a leading
role in arranging the marriage but the choice whether or not to accept the arrangement remains with the prospective spouses.

In forced marriages, one or both spouses do not (or, in the case of some vulnerable adults, cannot) consent to the marriage and duress is involved. Duress can include physical, psychological, financial, sexual and emotional pressure.

The Government launched new guidance on Forced Marriages in April 2009.
 
The document is titled “The Right to Choose: Multi Agency statutory guidance for dealing with Forced Marriages". You can download the full version via the link below.

www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/3849543/forced-marriage-right-to-choose
(click link - press save - save to your computer - then open from location on your pc)

The Forced Marriage Unit sees a distinct difference between a forced and an arranged marriage. They consider forced marriages to be a form of domestic abuse and a breach of Human Rights.

And in cases where young people less than 16 years of age are involved they consider this to be a child protection matter. The Unit are receiving around 1500 cases each year.

In this statutory guidance you can find information relating to the definitions of and appropriate responses to forced marriages and honour based violence.

ADVANCE accepts that forced marriages are domestic abuse and will follow the recommended guidelines when dealing with any cases.