Understanding Protection and Prevention Responses to Forced Marriage in England and Wales

A forced marriage is a marriage that lacks the consent of one or both parties, which is legally recognized as a form of domestic violence that primarily affects women and girls in the UK. Forced Marriage Protections Orders (FMPOs) are civil injunctions designed to prevent forced marriages and protect the victims/survivors. Although approximately 200-250 FMPOs have been granted annually in England & Wales since 2014, little is known about their use and potential impact on the victims/survivors. The aims of this first-ever study of FMPOs is to understand the workings of FMPOs and generate recommendations for improving preventative and protective responses to forced marriages.

A mixed methods approach was utilized drawing on quantitative data on FMPO applications in England & Wales and data from five police forces on FMPOs obtained between 2014 and 2019, and qualitative data from reported judgements on FMPOs (n=37), police case files from five force areas (n=70), life-history interviews with survivors (n=11) and interviews with practitioners (n=42).