Britain bans forced marriage

LONDON, June 16 (AFP): British legislation banning forced marriage came into effect on Monday, with those found guilty of the largely hidden practice facing up to seven years in prison.

The law applies not only within Britain but also makes it a criminal offence to force a British national into a marriage abroad, as many youngsters are flown out to weddings in their ancestral homelands, particularly in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Nearly two-thirds of the cases dealt with by the government's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) relate to Britain's South Asian communities.

Campaigners welcomed the new laws as a "huge step forward", while the government hopes they will protect potential victims.

A practice wrecking the lives of unknown thousands of British-born youths, forced marriage has been increasingly exposed in the last decade.

"Forced marriage is a tragedy for each and every victim, and its very nature means that many cases go unreported," said Home Secretary Theresa May.

"I am proud to say that the UK is already a world leader in the fight to stamp out this harmful practice with the government's FMU working hard to tackle this terrible practice in the UK and overseas.

"Today's criminalisation is a further move by this government to ensure victims are protected by the law and that they have the confidence, safety and the freedom to choose."

Last year, the FMU dealt with some 1,300 cases -- 18 percent of them men.

Forty percent of victims were aged 17 or under; three quarters were aged under 22.