Affinities says “Forced marriage is here to stay until local authorities fulfil their obligations”

Affinities logo for press releases

Wednesday, 12, Mar 2008 12:00

Affinities says “Forced marriage is here to stay until local authorities fulfil their obligations”

“A slew of statistics, some accurate and others projected, have catapulted concern about the extent of forced marriage in Britain to the top of the political agenda.”

So says Deborah Orr in “The price of ditching multiculturalism” in The Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/deborah-orr/deborah-orr-the-price-of-ditching-multiculturalism-794422.html

The question is not really about multiculturalism. It should be about what the government is doing to prevent domestic violence and to improve the chances of couples enjoying good relationships. The role of local authorities in marriage preparation and in promoting domestic and social cohesion should be developed:

- as a part of Local Area Agreements [LAAs] for well-being in the community, local authorities should publish a local policy for the promotion of domestic and social cohesion and follow a code of practice approved by the Local Government Association

- the Statistics and Registration Service Act alters the employment position of registrars who become employees of the local authority. All couples expressing an intention of marrying whether as a sponsor or when attending a register office should be invited to complete a pre-marital inventory

- unmarried couples registering a birth should be offered the opportunity to undertake a relationship development inventory and a parenting education programme

- couples completing approved programmes in good faith should be rewarded with a choice of retail store vouchers

- failure to complete the inventory satisfactorily should be sufficient grounds for Registrars or Entry Clearance officers to decline to process applications if they are suspicious that an intended marriage is bogus or forced

- failure to obtain a certificate from a facilitator that a pre-marital inventory had been completed in good faith together with the completion of a programme of marriage preparation should be sufficient grounds to revoke leave to remain in the UK

- the evidence provided by one of the couple following the completion of a pre-marital inventory in conjunction with a registered facilitator would be crucial in determining if abuse of marriage is occurring, and sufficient grounds for referral to the senior legal officer in the local authority

- if a sponsor or partner is aware that they will be expected to complete a premarital inventory it is more likely they will acquire the necessary life and language skills to do so effectively

- as deputy registrars, Church of England clergy should be endorsing local policies along the lines outlined above

Nick Gulliford

Telephone +44 1823 432420

Mobile +44 7947 046104

nick@affinities.org.uk

www.affinities.org.uk