The Foreign Office is seeking to recoup the cost of repatriating young women who have been forced into marriages overseas, it has been revealed, prompting charities to criticise the government for making women “pay for their protection”. The change came after the Guardian and the Muslim Women’s Network UK highlighted the practice of requiring victims of forced marriage to pay their own repatriation costs. The Guardian detailed the case of a 17-year-old British girl who arrived at the UK embassy in Islamabad in 2014 seeking help to escape a forced marriage. The joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office forced marriage unit works with charities, shelters and safe houses in a number of countries to ensure victims of forced marriage are safeguarded. Many of the victims who the forced marriage unit help are vulnerable, and when offering any support their safety is our primary concern.”

Source: The Guardian January 02, 2019 01:04 UTC