The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 which will prevent forced marriages and protect those already in them has come into force today.

The new legislation allows for interested parties to apply for a Forced Marriage Protection Order (FMPO), a form of injunction which can be tailored to suit each individual application. An FMPO may require a party to hand over their passport, it can stop someone being taken abroad and even force the whereabouts of a person to be revealed. The clear-cut aim is to allow the courts to deal sensibly and sensitively with the issue of forced marriage and reduce the level of intimidation and violence that is often associated with the same.

A failure to comply with the order can lead to imprisonment. The key aspect to the legislation is that it is not just a victim who can apply for an FMPO – a friend or the police can do so too thus negating the great difficulty that many victims experience when it comes to leaving their families and making that break.

Previously, forced marriages were dealt with by other legislation such as the Children Act 1989 or the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 but these are avenues that few are made aware of. The high-profile launch of this new legislation should ensure that more victims of forced marriages and their friends are made aware that protection from this practice is now far more accessible and, importantly, more immediate.