Inquiry finds forced marriage victims 'are being failed'

A specialised programme similar to police witness protection schemes should be created to help victims of so-called honour-based violence, a parliamentary inquiry said on Thursday.

It accused the government of failing women fleeing such situations.

The public, front-line professionals and even victims themselves lacked any understanding about the true effects of domestic violence, forced marriages and honour-related violence, the Home Affairs select committee report concluded.

Education in schools was poor while some schools even "resisted allowing discussion on the issue, or even providing information on the issue", the cross-party report said.

The committee has been investigating forced marriages, where victims often do not know their future husband's identity and have no rights once they marry.

The report's authors said the effects of domestic violence, abuse and forced marriages should be taught to children along with sex education.

There was also a "desperate shortage" of emergency accommodation for victims, they said, and called on the government to urgently fund new places.

Despite efforts by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), "marriage visas were still being granted in some cases where the visa sponsor has been forced into marriage and compelled to sponsor (it)".

Figures contained in the 168-page report showed that two women are killed a week by a partner or former partner that cost the economy in 2005/06 more than 25 billion pounds.

The report said the government's Forced Marriages Unit dealt with about 5,000 inquiries and 300 cases of forced marriages but "the true scale of all forms of domestic violence, especially "honour"-based violence and forced marriage, is unknown".

One of the most graphic and extreme examples of the consequences of arranged marriages in Britain in recent times was that of young Kurdish woman Banaz Mahmod who was tortured, raped, garrotted and then murdered in a "barbaric and callous" honour killing.

The 20 year-old was subjected to the horrifying ordeal for more than 2-1/2 hours at her family home in south London last year for falling in love with the wrong man.

Two police forces were later heavily criticised for ignoring death threats against her.

The committee's chairman, Labour MP Keith Vaz, said while the government had made inroads towards stamping out domestic violence and forced marriages, it had not been enough and called for "urgent action".

"We educate our young people about the dangers of drugs or road safety but not, it seems, about domestic and "honour"-based violence and forced marriage," he said in a statement.

Campaigners called on the government to protect "one of the most vulnerable groups of women living in the UK - women with insecure immigration status".

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said in a statement that the government had made inroads into tackling domestic violence.

"We are determined across government to continue engaging with local communities and taking action to protect victims from domestic and so-called honour-based violence," he said.