Forced marriage is a ‘wrong’ not a right says C of E
-Jan 5, 2006
The Church of Engla
Forced marriage is a ‘wrong’ not a right says C of E
-Jan 5, 2006
The Church of England has supported moves to create a specific criminal offence of ëforcing someone to marryí in its submission to a Home Office review on the issue.
In the Churchís submission, the Bishop of Southwark, Rt Revd Tom Butler, says: ìWe strongly affirm the principle reflected in the consultation that forced marriages are wrong legally and morally. The idea of consent is key for the Christian understanding of marriage, and the very foundation of the concept of marriage in English law.î
The consultation was organised to identify whether the longer term benefits of introducing primary legislation would help change ingrained attitudes to the issue and aid young people who face the prospect of entering a marriage against their wishes.
The Churchís response is founded on the principle that non consensual marriage should be dealt with on the same basis as non consensual sexual relations, as an issue of fundamental human rights.
Rejecting the idea that existing legislation and protective measures are sufficient to prevent forced marriages, the Churchís response points to the experiences of around 250 cases dealt with by the Governmentís Forced Marriage Unit each year ñ and many more such abuses which take place without being brought to the attention of the authorities.
The submission also suggests the importance of an integrated communications campaign to support the introduction of any future legislation in this area, to help alleviate concerns that new legal powers could be misinterpreted as an attack on one section of the community.
ìIt is also important that marriage based on consent, whether arranged or chosen by the couple, is not unintentionally undermined by legislation in this area,î the Bishop concluded.
Forced marriage is a ‘wrong’ not a right says C of E
-Jan 5, 2006
The Church of England has supported moves to create a specific criminal offence of ëforcing someone to marry’ in its submission to a Home Office review on the issue.
In the Church’s submission, the Bishop of Southwark, Rt Revd Tom Butler, says: ‘We strongly affirm the principle reflected in the consultation that forced marriages are wrong legally and morally. The idea of consent is key for the Christian understanding of marriage, and the very foundation of the concept of marriage in English law.’
The consultation was organised to identify whether the longer term benefits of introducing primary legislation would help change ingrained attitudes to the issue and aid young people who face the prospect of entering a marriage against their wishes.
The Church’s response is founded on the principle that non consensual marriage should be dealt with on the same basis as non consensual sexual relations, as an issue of fundamental human rights.
Rejecting the idea that existing legislation and protective measures are sufficient to prevent forced marriages, the Church’s response points to the experiences of around 250 cases dealt with by the Government’s Forced Marriage Unit each year – and many more such abuses which take place without being brought to the attention of the authorities.
The submission also suggests the importance of an integrated communications campaign to support the introduction of any future legislation in this area, to help alleviate concerns that new legal powers could be misinterpreted as an attack on one section of the community.
‘It is also important that marriage based on consent, whether arranged or chosen by the couple, is not unintentionally undermined by legislation in this area,’ the Bishop concluded.