Seddons previously blogged on 25 November about the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 which came into force on the same date with a view to affording more protection to the victims of forced marriage by giving the courts a new range of powers to deal with the same.

The Act has already been put to good use: on 16 December, Dr. Humayra Abedin arrived home from Bangladesh, where she had been held by her family against her will so that she might comply with their wishes and enter into a forced marriage.

Having been held in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, Dr. Abedin’s family were ordered to release her after being served with a Forced Marriage Order by the High Court. A judge in Bangladesh freed Dr. Abedin who was then able to catch a flight back to the United Kingdom.

Though the Forced Marriage Order was not enforceable in Bangladesh, the court there took note of the High Court’s order. Dr. Abedin’s family had already ignored previous requests for her to be brought to the court. Although the Forced Marriage Act 2007 has only just come into force, this was an early and unique opportunity to prove how effective the legislation might be, the original application made by a cousin of Dr. Abedin. With guidelines due to be published shortly regarding how to make an application for an order under the Act, the High Court were able to respond quickly and demonstrate what a powerful tool this legislation could turn out to be for the victims of forced marriages and their families.