UK Forced Marriage Unit receives 100 referrals of children aged 12 or younger

Data obtained via a Freedom of Information request reveals that at least 100 children aged 12 or younger were referred to the UK Government’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) over a five-year period from 2021 to 2025. The figures include 62 children aged 10 or under and 27 children aged five or below.

The Home Office noted that a referral indicates details have been provided regarding an actual, potential, or suspected forced marriage, though not every referral results in a forced marriage occurring. In England and Wales, the legal age of marriage was raised from 16 to 18 in 2023, and forcing someone into marriage remains a criminal offense.

Campaigner Dame Jasvinder Sanghera described the ages of the children involved as “deeply disturbing.” She warned that the end of summer holidays could lead to “missing children” who may fail to return to school or may return already engaged or married.