100 youngsters referred to Forced Marriage Unit
The British Home Office has responded to Freedom of Information data showing that at least 100 children aged 12 or younger were referred to the government's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) over a five-year period.
The British Home Office said that data on FMU referrals, obtained by GB News journalists, indicated that information submitted about an actual, potential, or suspected case rather than proof that a marriage had taken place.
The Home Office stated that forced marriage was "not a problem specific to one country, religion or culture; there is no archetypal victim or perpetrator, and no two cases are the same".
Officials also declined to disclose the exact age of the youngest child in the dataset.
The figures, which include 27 children under five and 62 under ten between 2021 and 2025, have heightened concerns from child-protection advocates.
Hidden abuses
Child-protection campaigners have warned that hidden abuses persist, raising fears that some vulnerable pupils may go missing or return from extended holiday periods engaged or married.
Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, who ran away from her Derby home at 14 when faced with forced marriage, said the situation was “deeply disturbing”.
The campaigner said the actual incidence of forced marriage was probably higher as there was “inevitably going to be a high number of children and adults whose situations never reach statutory services.”
Authorities state that cases involving very young children frequently entail early betrothals or risks associated with female genital mutilation (FGM) rather than an immediate wedding ceremony.
While historical cases frequently involved an overseas element, recent data show an ongoing domestic trend, with a portion of referrals occurring entirely within Britain.
Under British law, forcing someone into marriage is a serious criminal offence.
In England and Wales, the legal age of marriage was raised from 16 to 18 in 2023, removing previous legal exceptions and making it illegal under any circumstances to cause a child to marry before their 18th birthday.
The offence carries penalties of up to seven years in prison, alongside protective legal mechanisms such as Forced Marriage Protection Orders issued through family courts.