Forced marriage legislation could isolate society’s most vulnerable, experts warn

New legislation on forced marriage could put vulnerable adults and children with learning disabilities at risk, according to experts at the Ann Craft Trust. The recent announcement by the Prime Minister that forced marriage will be made a criminal offence will mean that parents who make children marry against their will could be jailed. But serious concerns have been raised about whether this could lead to a fear of reporting forced marriages. "Forced marriage has far reaching implications for everyone who works with children or vulnerable adults. 53 of the forced marriages reported to the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) in 2010 involved a child or adult with a learning disability, said Deborah Kitson, Chief Executive of the Ann Craft Trust — a charity committed to safeguarding disabled children and vulnerable adults from abuse, which is based in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at The University of Nottingham. "This figure is likely to be the tip of the iceberg. There is existing legislation that can be applied to the crimes associated with forced marriage including kidnap, assault and rape.