Official Statistics

Forced Marriage Unit statistics 2023

Published 9 May 2024

1. Key Points

In 2023, the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) received 802 contacts related to a possible forced marriage and/or possible female genital mutilation (FGM)^{[footnote 1]}. This figure includes contact that was made to the FMU through its public helpline or by email in relation to a new case and comprises 280 cases of forced marriage where advice and support were provided, 3 cases of FGM and 519 forced marriage enquiries. Forced marriage enquiries received always have an element of forced marriage but often can also be related to multiple issues alongside forced marriage. These forced marriage enquiries only require signposting and general advice. In previous data releases we called these ‘general enquiries’ but the name has been changed to forced marriage enquiries to better represent the nature of this contact with the FMU.

All percentages and analysis throughout this document relate to the figure of 283.

A case in which advice and support is given (‘advice and support cases’) is one where the FMU is provided with full details of a specific individual at risk of, or affected by, forced marriage (or, where there is an overseas angle, FGM), and actively provides advice and support for as long as is required. 

A forced marriage enquiry is one where the FMU may be asked to provide general advice and/or signposting to other sources of guidance or information without requiring continuous actions or support by the FMU such as historic arranged or forced marriage but now requiring advice about divorce or annulment, how to apply for a forced marriage protection order, who should the referral be made to, immigration advice about foreign spouses and so on.

The FMU began to record these in 2018, separate to the advice and support cases which comprised the annual published statistics.

These statistics represent only the cases that have been reported to the FMU, and where the FMU has actively given advice or support. Forced marriage is a hidden crime, and these figures will not reflect the full scale of the abuse. Separately, the Home Office has commissioned the University of Birmingham and University of Nottingham to conduct a feasibility study on how accurate estimations of the prevalence of forced marriage and FGM in England and Wales might be made. The Home Office is considering the findings and any potential next steps.

Of the cases in which the FMU provided advice or support in 2023:

• 70 cases (25%) involved victims aged 17 and under
• 95 cases (34%) involved victims aged 18 to 25
• 67 cases (24%) involved victims with mental capacity concerns
• 195 cases (69%) involved female victims, and 88 cases (31%) involved male victims

Forced marriage is not a problem specific to one country, religion or culture.

In recent years, the FMU has handled cases relating to countries across 5 continents. 

In 2023, the FMU handled cases relating to 30 ‘focus countries’, excluding the UK. The ‘focus country’ is the country to which the forced marriage risk relates. This could be the country where the forced marriage (or FGM) is due to take place, the country where it has taken place, and/or the country that the spouse is currently residing in. The ‘focus countries’ (other than the UK) with the highest number of cases in 2023 were:

• Pakistan - 138 cases (49%)
• Bangladesh - 29 cases (10%)
• Afghanistan - 23 cases (8%)
• India - 20 cases (7%)
• Somalia^{[footnote 2]} - 7 cases (2%)
• Turkey - 6 cases (2%)

The majority (85%) of victims were in the UK at the time the case was referred to the FMU; this is an increase from 78% in 2022.

In 2023, 10 cases (4%) had no overseas element, with the potential or actual forced marriage taking place entirely within the UK. This is an increase from 8 cases in 2022 (3%) and it continues to highlight that forced marriages can and do take place in the UK.

This document is accompanied by a data sheet which contains the figures quoted in this report. Categories containing data relating to fewer than 5 cases have been recorded as “X” to preserve the anonymity of victims.

Awareness Raising and Outreach Activity

The FMU has for some years run training workshops for police officers on how to support victims of forced marriage. In 2020 these moved online and began to be complemented by new workshops for social workers and in April 2023 for registrars of marriages and their staff. The unit also conducts bespoke presentations on request to local authorities, non-governmental organisations, health officials and other organisations. The FMU has placed a greater emphasis on prevention and early intervention in recent years and made substantial efforts to raise awareness of forced marriage amongst professionals and how best to support victims at an early stage.

In the last 3 years a greater number of outreach events have taken place, with the aim of raising awareness amongst professionals and building their capability on how best to support victims. The numbers of people in receipt of this training and awareness raising activity has risen considerably in recent years: in 2023, the FMU delivered training to 3,656 UK professionals, representing an increase of 138% compared with 2022 (1,537). 

As well as the dedicated training workshops for social care staff, police officers and registrars of marriages and their staff, in 2023 the unit delivered ad hoc training on request to groups including police officers, social workers, health professionals, local authorities, Border Force staff and community groups.

In addition, in 2023, 6,150 people from a wide range of professions took the Government’s “Awareness of Forced Marriage” free online course and passed. The FMU has also been asked to attend more safeguarding meetings organised by local authorities and the police, resulting in early intervention being made to safeguard individuals, usually a forced marriage protection order being put in place to prevent travel abroad.

2. Overview

What is Forced Marriage?

A forced marriage is one in which a person uses violence, threats or another form of coercion to cause someone else to enter into a marriage and believes (or ought reasonably to believe) that their actions may cause that other person to enter into the marriage without free and full consent.

Coercion may include emotional pressure, physical force (or the threat of it), and financial pressure. It is a criminal offence to force someone into a marriage or to deceive them into travelling overseas for this purpose^{[footnote 3]}.

It is also a forced marriage to do anything to cause an adult who lacks the relevant mental capacity to enter into a marriage, even if a form of coercion is not used. Since the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 came into force on 27 February 2023, that same provision has applied to minors. As well as raising the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 in all circumstances in England and Wales, that legislation expanded the ambit of the criminal offence of forced marriage in England and Wales such that, it is now an offence to carry out any conduct for the purpose of causing a child to marry before their eighteenth birthday, even if violence, threats or any other form of coercion are not used.

In contrast to a forced marriage, when it comes to the marriage of an adult, in an arranged marriage both parties have consented to the union but can still refuse to marry if they choose to. This distinction between forced and arranged marriages used to apply to individuals aged 16 to 18, but since 27 February 2023 it no longer does – what previously would have been considered an arranged marriage of a child is now deemed a forced marriage and is illegal.

The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU)

The FMU is a joint Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) unit. It was established in 2005 to lead on the Government’s forced marriage outreach and casework and support with forced marriage policy. The unit operates both inside the UK, where support is provided to any individual, and overseas, where consular assistance is provided to British nationals, including dual nationals.  The unit also leads on consular casework relating to British national victims of FGM who are overseas.

The FMU operates a helpline from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (+44 (0) 20 7008 0151). Outside of these hours, consular assistance can be requested 24/7 by contacting the nearest overseas British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate, or by calling 020 7008 5000 in the UK. The FMU typically receives information about a forced marriage from either the person at risk, from a friend or a relative, or from professionals within agencies charged with responsibility for safeguarding children and adults with care and support needs.

This publication provides information on the number of cases reported to the FMU via its public helpline and email inbox from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023, where advice and support have been provided. The FMU logs all relevant calls and emails received to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the records. The main categories of data that are captured by the FMU include (if volunteered, as some callers may wish to remain anonymous):

• details of the caller/source of information
• focus country
• UK region where the victim/potential victim lives
• sex, age, location and nationality of the person at risk
• disability – be it physical, learning or both, and/or any condition that may affect mental capacity
• sexual orientation (only if volunteered)

The FMU does not record data on religion; no major faith in the UK advocates forced marriage. Freely given consent is a prerequisite of Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh marriages.

The FMU privacy notice is available online here.

Further information about forced marriage and the work of the FMU is available online here, by emailing fmu@fcdo.gov.uk, or by writing to:

Forced Marriage Unit
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Consular Directorate
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
+44 (0)20 7008 0151

3. Forced Marriage Unit statistics

In 2023, the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) gave advice or support in 283 cases related to a possible forced marriage or possible female genital mutilation (FGM). This does not include 519 forced marriage enquiries the unit received, which required signposting to relevant advice without requiring continuous actions or support by the FMU.

The 283 cases in 2023 represents a 16% decrease on the number of cases (302) received in 2022.

This is unlikely to be indicative of a decrease in the prevalence of forced marriage in the UK, for which the FMU’s statistics are not a good guide; the statistics relate only to those cases reported to the unit and so the 16% fall could be a result of many different factors, for example the increase in the level of the unit’s outreach activity emboldening professionals to handle forced marriage cases without the FMU’s assistance, new legislation raising the age of marriage to 18 in England and Wales and greater media publicity about forced marriage being illegal in the UK.

Of the cases in which the FMU provided advice or support in 2023:

• 53 cases related to a ‘reluctant sponsor’^{[footnote 4]}
• 3 cases related only to FGM where the victim or potential victim was overseas
• 67 cases related to mental capacity concerns

Owing to changes in recording practices, the data in 2023 is not directly comparable with that of previous years, prior to 2020.

Table 1: Number of cases in which the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support, 2011 to 2023

Year	Number
2011	1,468
2012	1,485
2013	1,302
2014	1,267
2015	1,220
2016	1,428
2017	1,196
2018	1,507
2019	1,355
2020	759
2021	337
2022	302
2023	283

Source: Forced Marriage Unit; Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

4. Sources of referrals

Every year the Forced Marriage Unit receives referrals from a variety of sources. The bulk of these come from professionals charged with safeguarding responsibilities, such as the police, social services and education officials. In 2023, 58 cases (20% of referrals) were made by social services, 32 cases (11%) by the police, and 16 cases (6%) by education officials.

In 101 cases (36%) the referral was made by the Home Office (generally borders and immigration) - these were mostly related to reluctant sponsor cases or where capacity concerns were highlighted by Home Office and other officials.

There were 29 cases (10%) which were made by the victims seeking support and guidance. The remaining 17% of cases were referred by friends, partners, family members, colleagues, NGOs and others.

Table 2 and figure 1 below show the monthly breakdown of cases referred to the FMU.

Table 2: Number of cases in which the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support, by month, 2023

Month	Numbers	Percentages [footnote 5]
January	23	8%
February	27	10%
March	38	13%
April	20	7%
May	19	7%
June	33	12%
July	12	4%
August	17	6%
September	25	9%
October	20	7%
November	10	4%
December	39	14%
Total	283

Source: Forced Marriage Unit; Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Figure 1: Number of cases in which the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice and support, by month, in 2023

Source: Forced Marriage Unit; Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

The following sections provide further information about the cases that the FMU handled in 2023.

5. Sex of victims

In 2023, 195 cases (69%) involved female victims and 88 cases (31%) involved male victims. This highlights that forced marriage is a crime which disproportionately affects women, but that men can also be victims. Men were particularly represented in cases where the victim has mental capacity concerns. In 2022, 78% of victims were female and 22% male.

6. Age of victims

In 2023, 12% of the cases involved victims who were known to be aged 15 and under (14% in 2022), 13% were known to be aged 16 or 17 years old (16% in 2022), 18% were known to be aged 18 to 21 (26% in 2022) and 16% of the cases were known to be aged 22 to 25 (13% in 2022). Cases concerning young children often involve the ‘promise’ of a future marriage (betrothal), or the younger sibling of someone at a direct risk, rather than an imminent marriage. The case numbers also include FGM, which often involves child victims.

In 2023, 15% of cases involved victims who were known to be aged 26 to 30 and 25% who were known to be aged 31 and over (12% in 2022). In 2% of the cases the age of the person was unknown (4% in 2022).

Table 3: Number of cases in which the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support, by age, 2023

Age	Numbers	Percentages
15 and under	33	12%
16 to 17	37	13%
18 to 21	51	18%
22 to 25	44	16%
26 to 30	42	15%
31 to 40	48	17%
41+	23	8%
Unknown	5	2%
Total	283

Source: Forced Marriage Unit; Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

7. Nationality of victims

In 2023, 75% of victims (212 cases) were British nationals, including dual nationals, 6% (18 cases) were EU nationals and 16% of victims (46 cases) were non-British nationals. The nationality of the individual was unknown in 2% of cases (7 cases).

Table 4: Number of cases in which the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support, by nationality, 2023

	Numbers	Percentages
British national (including dual national)	212	75%
Non-British national	46	16%
EU Nationals	18	6%
Unknown	7	2%
Total number of cases	283

Source: Forced Marriage Unit; Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

8. UK regions where victims live

As in recent years, in 2023 the UK regions associated with the greatest number of cases were London, West Midlands and the North West, together accounting for 59% of referrals (53% in 2022). The proportions of referrals from other regions remained broadly similar to previous years.

Table 5: Number of cases in which the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support, by region, 2023

UK Region	Number of cases	Percentage of cases
London	62	22%
West Midlands	59	21%
North West	44	16%
Yorkshire and The Humber	26	9%
South East	22	8%
East	17	6%
East Midlands	16	6%
South West	9	3%
Scotland	6	2%
Wales	[x]	[x]
Unknown	22	7%
Total	283

9. Focus country overview

The ‘focus country’ is the country to which the risk of forced marriage relates. This could be the country where the forced marriage is due to take place, the country where it has taken place, and/or the country in which the spouse is currently residing.

In 2023, the FMU handled cases relating to the UK and 30 other ‘focus countries’.

Table 6: Number of cases in which the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support, by focus country, 2023

Focus country	Numbers	Percentages
Pakistan	138	49%
Bangladesh	29	10%
Afghanistan	23	8%
India	20	7%
United Kingdom	10	4%
Somalia	7	2%
Turkey	6	2%
Other (24 countries)	46	16%
Unknown	[x]	[x]
Total	283

Source: Forced Marriage Unit; Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

10. Focus countries breakdown

See the figures and tables spreadsheet for a further data breakdown for Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

Pakistan

Pakistan is routinely the ‘focus country’ with the largest number of cases of forced marriages reported to the FMU.

There were 138 cases (49%) linked to Pakistan as the focus country in 2023, of those 65% were female and 35% male. In 85% of these cases the victim was in the UK and the focus was on preventing the marriage before it was due to take place or preventing the victim from being taken abroad or forced to sponsor a spousal visa. In 15% of the cases, victims were overseas when the referral was made. In such cases, support is usually delivered through a combination of consular staff in-country and FMU staff in the UK^{[footnote 6]}.

In 29 cases (21%) linked to Pakistan involved victims who were known to be aged 17 and under, and 26 cases (19%) were known to be aged 18 to 21.

The most common UK regions linked to cases involving Pakistan were the West Midlands, North West, and Yorkshire and The Humber, together accounting for 63% of these cases.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh was linked to 29 cases (10%) in 2023. 93% of the referrals were made when the victims were known to be in the UK. 52% of the victims helped were female and 48% were male.

In 6 cases (21%) linked to Bangladesh involved victims who were known to be aged 17 and under, and 5 cases (17%) were known to be aged 18 to 21.

London was the region involving the largest number of cases linked to Bangladesh with 10 referrals to the FMU (34%).

Afghanistan

Afghanistan was linked to 23 cases (8%) in 2023 and of those 91% were female and 9% male. 74% of the referrals were made when the victim was known to be in the UK.

In 14 cases (61%) linked to Afghanistan involved victims who were known to be aged 17 and under, and 5 cases (22%) were known to be aged 18 to 21. 

London was the region involving the largest number of cases linked to Afghanistan with 10 referrals to the FMU (43%).

India

India was linked to 20 cases (7%) in 2023 and of these 50% were female and 50% male. All of the victims were in the UK when the referral was made to the FMU.

In only one case linked to India involved victim who was known to be aged 17 and under, and 7 cases (20%) were known to be aged 18 to 21.

UK

In 2023, 10 cases (8 in 2022) had no overseas element, with the potential or actual forced marriage taking place entirely within the UK. This continues to highlight that forced marriages do take place in the UK. 7 of the 10 victims were female. All of the 10 victims were known to be aged 19 and over.

11. Sexual orientation of victims

In 2023, 2 cases involved victims who voluntarily identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). The figure for 2022 was 5 cases.

These statistics are based on the information that is volunteered to the unit; victims were not asked to disclose their sexual orientation.

12. Victims with mental capacity concerns

In 2023, 67 cases (24%) involved victims whose mental capacity to consent to marriage was in doubt^{[footnote 7]}. The sex and age breakdown of those victims, as well as the focus countries, are shown in table 7.

Victims with mental capacity concerns were more likely to be male (63%) and older (70% of victims were known to be over the age of 26) than in cases on average.

Table 7: Number of cases involving a victim with mental capacity concerns in which the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support, 2023

Sex	Numbers	Percentages
Male	42	63%
Female	25	37%

Age range	Numbers	Percentages
15 and under	-	-
16 to 17	[x]	[x]
18 to 21	6	9%
22 to 25	12	18%
26 to 30	19	28%
31 to 40	21	31%
41+	7	10%
Unknown	[x]	[x]

Focus country	Numbers	Percentages
Pakistan	33	49%
Bangladesh	14	21%
United Kingdom	[x]	[x]
India	5	7%
Other (10 countries)	11	16%
Unknown	[x]	[x]

UK region	Numbers	Percentages
West Midlands	16	24%
North West	13	19%
London	13	19%
East	5	7%
Yorkshire and The Humber	[x]	[x]
South East	[x]	[x]
East Midlands	[x]	[x]
Wales	[x]	[x]
Scotland	[x]	[x]
Unknown	[x]	[x]
Total number of cases involving someone with mental capacity concerns	67

13. Status of the marriage

The status of the marriage is recorded under 4 categories. These categories are:

• ‘UK Pre’ (this means that the victim is in the UK and the marriage is yet to take place; the marriage could be in the UK or overseas)
• ‘UK Post’ (the victim is in the UK and the marriage has taken place)^{[footnote 8]}
• ‘Overseas Pre’ (the victim is overseas, and the marriage is yet to take place)
• ‘Overseas Post’ (the victim is overseas, and the marriage has taken place)

The risks for the victims are different at each point. When a victim is overseas, the need for support is often more urgent because it can mean that the wedding is imminent. The security and legal situation in certain countries or regions within countries also affects the level of consular support which the FMU is able to offer.

In 2023, 136 cases (48%) were referred to the FMU once the marriage had taken place, these are generally cases involving reluctant sponsor cases or where mental capacity concerns were highlighted either by the Borders and Immigration staff or local authorities. In 125 cases out of 136, the victims were in the UK and the remaining 11 were overseas when the referral was made.

In 2023, 143 cases (51%) were referred to the FMU prior to the marriage taking place. In 115 cases out of 143, the victims were in the UK and 28 were overseas when the referral was made to the FMU. In 4 of the cases, the status was unknown. 

In general, the earlier the FMU is contacted, the greater the range of options available to help support the victim and mitigate the risk of a forced marriage taking place. As a result of an extensive outreach programme being delivered by the FMU in recent years, the FMU have been requested to attend a greater number of strategy meetings organised by the safeguarding professionals. These have resulted in early intervention being made and safeguarding measures being put in place, such as a forced marriage protection order being obtained or individuals being made subject to a child protection plan.

14. Repatriations

In 2023, the FMU provided practical help or advice to support the repatriations^{[footnote 9]} of 8 individuals. Repatriation figures are not fully representative of the assistance provided to forced marriage victims overseas.

For example, the figures do not include cases where:

• a forced marriage protection order^{[footnote 10]} was used to facilitate direct repatriation without practical involvement from the FMU
• victims did not require assistance from the FCDO to return to the UK
• direct contact with the victim resulted in no further assistance being required by the victim
• the victim was not a British national and was thus not eligible for consular assistance (safeguarding advice by the FMU was still provided)

1. The FMU can provide assistance relating to FGM which has affected or may affect UK nationals (including dual nationals) who are overseas. ↩

2. Including Somaliland. ↩

3. Forced marriage legislation is devolved, but the FMU provides support and advice regardless of where in the UK the victim/potential victim is based. The relevant legislation can be found at: England and Wales; Scotland; Northern Ireland. ↩

4. This is when assistance is provided when an unwanted spouse is due to move to the UK. ↩

5. Percentages in this and some other tables do not sum to 100, owing to rounding. ↩

6. In the remaining cases, the location of the victim was unknown. ↩

7. Cases involving victims with a suspected or confirmed lack of capacity to consent to marriage under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. ↩

8. These cases often involve reluctant sponsors. ↩

9. To come back to the UK or to their country of ordinary residence. ↩

10. “Forced Marriage Protection Orders: How can they protect me?” HM Courts and Tribunals Service leaflet ↩