FGM and forced marriage protection orders

FGM and forced marriage protection orders work. The danger is delay.

By Aneeta Prem
Freedom Charity
14 March 2026

We need FGM and forced marriage protection orders. Britain does not lack legal powers to protect girls at risk of forced marriage or female genital mutilation. Too often, however, the system lacks speed.

That is why this matters now. In its action plan published on 3 February 2026, the Government said it would launch a pilot in financial year 2026/27 on the multi-agency management of forced marriage and FGM protection orders. It also said there is currently no automatic information-sharing between family courts and criminal justice agencies for these orders, calling that “a shocking gap in the system”. (gov.uk)

This is not a minor administrative problem. In safeguarding work, delay can cancel out protection. An order may exist on paper and still fail the child it was meant to protect if professionals act too late, serve it too slowly, or fail to share it properly with police and other agencies. In effect, the Government’s latest action plan admits that the machinery around these orders has not worked well enough. (gov.uk)

What are forced marriage and FGM protection orders?

A forced marriage protection order, usually known as an FMPO, is a family court order that protects someone who is being forced into marriage, threatened with forced marriage, or has already been forced into one. An FGM protection order, or FGMPO, protects a girl at risk of FGM, or a girl against whom FGM has already been committed. Parliament created both orders because criminal law often arrives too late. These are preventive tools. They are meant to stop harm before it happens, not simply record it afterwards. (justice.gov.uk)

What changed in 2026?

The current legal focus is practical, not abstract. Family Procedure Rules material says the rules now clarify the time period for serving an FMPO or FGMPO. In addition, it creates an enabling provision so that a Practice Direction can require police notification when an order is made, varied, extended or discharged. That same material also says the court now has permanent provisions to notify police about FMPOs and FGMPOs. (justice.gov.uk)

These changes matter because such cases rarely present neatly. Risk may emerge through sudden travel plans, rising family pressure, school absence, fear, silence, restricted movement, or pressure around marriage, reputation or kinship. Sometimes professionals sense danger and still hold back. They may fear getting it wrong. In other cases, they treat the situation as culturally delicate instead of legally urgent. That is an inference from how these orders work and why the new procedural emphasis falls on speed, service and police notification. (gov.uk)

FGM AND FORCED MARRIAGE PROTECTION ORDERS They work. The danger is delay.

What do the latest figures show?

Official figures show that courts are using these orders, but the numbers remain small. In July to September 2025, there were 73 applications for forced marriage protection orders and 176 orders made. During the same quarter, there were 39 FGM protection order applications and 69 orders made. The Ministry of Justice says both series are very small and can fluctuate from quarter to quarter. (gov.uk)

The wider safeguarding picture remains serious. In 2024, the Forced Marriage Unit received 812 contacts related to a possible forced marriage and or possible FGM. That total included 229 forced marriage cases where the unit gave advice and support, 11 FGM cases where the unit gave advice and support, and 572 forced marriage enquiries. Meanwhile, London, the West Midlands and the North West together accounted for 55 per cent of referrals. (gov.uk)

However, those figures do not capture the full scale of abuse. The Forced Marriage Unit says forced marriage is a hidden crime and its statistics do not reflect the full scale of the problem. So low court numbers do not mean low risk. (gov.uk)

Why timing matters

I have advised on and helped shape numerous forced marriage and FGM protection orders. They do work. But only when professionals move before the harm is done.

Too often, debate misses that point. These orders are not symbolic. They can stop travel. Passports can be taken out of reach. In urgent cases, the court can also impose immediate conditions. Most importantly, these orders can force a system to recognise risk in legal form rather than as a vague concern to revisit later. Used early, they can save lives. Used late, they can become part of the record of what should have happened sooner.

What is an FMPO?

A forced marriage protection order is a court order from the family court in England and Wales that protects someone from being forced into marriage or from attempts to force them into marriage. The court framework makes clear that FMPOs sit within a process that includes service requirements and police notification provisions. (justice.gov.uk)

What is an FGMPO?

An FGM protection order is a court order that protects a girl at risk of female genital mutilation, or a girl against whom FGM has already been committed. Like an FMPO, it aims to prevent further harm rather than merely respond after the event. (justice.gov.uk)

Who can get one?

Applications go through the family court. GOV.UK’s family court statistics guide confirms that people can make FMPO applications at designated court locations in England and Wales. Where there is immediate danger, though, nobody should delay. Emergency action must come first. (gov.uk)

Why this matters now

The Government now accepts that the system around these orders needs improvement. Official figures show the risks remain live. The law is already there. Yet the real question is whether agencies have the confidence, coordination and urgency to use it in time. (gov.uk)

At Freedom Charity, we understand that these cases are rarely straightforward. They often involve fear, pressure, secrecy and fast-moving risk. Therefore, we help people recognise warning signs early and understand the safeguarding reality before it is too late.

The law matters. Timing matters more.

This article draws on the UK Government’s 2026 violence against women and girls action plan, Ministry of Justice Family Procedure Rules material, Family Court Statistics Quarterly, Forced Marriage Unit statistics 2024, the Guide to Family Court Statistics, and the UK Government’s multi-agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation.

Sources