Forced Marriage Protection Orders (under the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011) aim to protect people who are threatened with or who are already in a forced marriage; third parties can apply for these on a victim’s behalf.
Forced marriage is different to arranged marriage in which the families of both spouses take a leading role in arranging the marriage but the prospective spouses have the choice of whether or not to accept the arrangement.
This tradition has existed successfully in many communities and countries for a very long time. But, if the spouse changes their mind and is forced to go ahead with the marriage, it is considered a forced marriage.
Forcing someone to marry or taking advantage of their lack of understanding to trick them into taking part in a marriage is against the law in Scotland; so too is taking someone away from Scotland, against their will, to be married elsewhere. There may be associated criminal activities such as abduction; physical abuse; and threats.
Always remember the ‘one chance’ rule: you may only have one chance to speak to a potential victim of forced marriage and, therefore, only one chance to save a life.
Scottish Government: One chance checklist
Source: Responding to Forced Marriage - Multi-Agency Practice Guidelines published by the Scottish Government