Crewe forced marriage investigation: forced marriage is abuse, not honour
Crewe forced marriage investigation: forced marriage is abuse, not honour
The Crewe forced marriage investigation matters because it shows why safeguarding professionals must name forced marriage as abuse, not honour, culture or faith. Cheshire Police say they arrested nine people after reports of serious sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery involving members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Crewe. The allegations remain under police investigation, so readers must not treat them as proven facts. However, one safeguarding message is already clear: no one should disguise coercion as custom.
What happened in the Crewe forced marriage investigation?
Cheshire Police say officers began investigating after they received allegations in March 2026. According to the force, the alleged offences took place in 2023 and involved one woman who belonged to the group at the time.
On 29 April 2026, officers carried out three warrants in Crewe. The searches took place at Webb House and residential properties on Nantwich Road and Badger Avenue. More than 500 officers from Cheshire Police and neighbouring forces took part in the operation.
Police say they arrested six men and three women on suspicion of offences including rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, modern slavery and forced marriage. Officers also arrested a further 13 people on suspicion of public order offences, which police say do not relate to the main investigation.
Crucially, Cheshire Police have stressed that they are not investigating a religion. They are investigating serious criminal allegations. That distinction matters because safeguarding must protect people at risk without fuelling prejudice.
At the same time, professionals must not become so afraid of causing offence that they fail to name abuse. Forced marriage, sexual abuse, trafficking and modern slavery are not cultural sensitivities. They are safeguarding and criminal justice issues.
Why forced marriage must be named as abuse
GOV.UK forced marriage guidance defines forced marriage as a marriage where one or both people do not, or cannot, consent and pressure or abuse forces the marriage. The same guidance says that causing a child to marry before the age of 18 counts as forced marriage, even when no pressure or abuse takes place.
Forced marriage is illegal across the UK, although the precise legislation differs between jurisdictions. GOV.UK describes it as domestic abuse and a serious abuse of human rights.
Therefore, professionals must not treat forced marriage as a private family matter, soften it as tradition or excuse it as culture. Forced marriage removes choice, consent and freedom.
Freedom Charity uses the term dishonour abuse because the word “honour” should never protect perpetrators. There is no honour in coercion, control or forcing a person into marriage.
Aneeta Prem MBE, founder of Freedom Charity, said:
“Shame must never sit with the person harmed. It belongs with those who use fear, coercion and control to force someone into marriage or silence them. Forced marriage is abuse. If a child is involved, it is child abuse. There is no honour in it.”
This is not about faith. It is about coercion.
Cases involving religion, family or closed communities need careful language. However, careful language does not mean weak language. It means accurate language.
The Crown Prosecution Service guidance recognises that abuse linked to so-called “honour” can involve violence, threats, intimidation, coercion and psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse. Prosecutors must also consider the full context, including any wider pattern of abuse.
In practice, professionals need to ask direct questions about control. They should consider who holds the person’s phone, passport, money or documents; who decides where they go; who speaks for them; and who benefits if they stay silent.
Because coercion often hides in ordinary language, words such as shame, duty, obedience, family honour, spiritual punishment or community disgrace may signal risk. Silence can also matter. Sometimes a person says nothing because fear has already done its work.
Why the law matters
The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 made it a criminal offence in England, Wales and Scotland to force someone to marry. Northern Ireland has separate legislation. GOV.UK says the offence can include taking someone overseas to force them to marry, doing anything intended to cause a child to marry before their eighteenth birthday, or causing someone who lacks mental capacity to marry.
A Forced Marriage Protection Order can also protect someone at risk. Courts can use these orders to prevent travel, restrict contact, protect documents and stop further pressure. In addition, anyone who breaches an order can face criminal consequences.
However, safeguarding must not wait for a criminal conviction. Courts decide guilt. Safeguarding professionals act on risk.
What professionals should learn from Crewe
The Crewe forced marriage investigation must now follow the evidence. No suspect should face public judgment before a court has tested the facts, and no community should carry blame for allegations against individuals.
Even so, this case shows why professionals need sharper judgement. Forced marriage may sit beside sexual abuse, trafficking, modern slavery, immigration control, spiritual control, isolation or financial dependence.
In February 2026, the CPS strengthened its guidance to include spiritual abuse and immigration abuse for the first time. The update also highlighted dowry abuse, immigration-related exploitation, transnational marriage abandonment and spiritual or ritualistic abuse as harmful practices that prosecutors may need to consider.
For that reason, schools, police, health workers, social workers and community organisations must look beyond the surface. A person at risk may not say, “I face forced marriage.” Instead, they may say, “I have no choice,” “My family will never forgive me,” or nothing at all.
Safeguarding professionals should not take silence as reassurance. Sometimes silence is the evidence that control has worked.
Freedom Charity’s message
Freedom Charity supports people affected by forced marriage, dishonour abuse, FGM and related harmful practices. The charity provides support, education, professional training, a 24/7 helpline and a safeguarding app designed to place help within reach quickly.
The message must stay clear: forced marriage is not honour, culture or consent. It is abuse.
In an emergency, call 999.
Anyone with information that may help the Crewe investigation should contact Cheshire Police through the police public portal or call 101.
For concerns about forced marriage, dishonour abuse or FGM, contact Freedom Charity for confidential support and safeguarding advice. The Government’s Forced Marriage Unit can also provide specialist advice.
Related Freedom Charity guidance
Forced Marriage
Forced Marriage Protection Order Guide
FGM and forced marriage protection orders
Forced marriage training: new data exposes a safeguarding gap
What the New CPS Guidance on Honour-Based Abuse Means
What Is Immigration-Related Abuse?
What Is Spiritual or Ritual Abuse?
What Is Transnational Marriage Abandonment?
Freedom Charity Helpline
Freedom Charity App
Sources
This article draws on Cheshire Police’s official statement, current reporting by The Guardian, Sky News, The Times and ITV News, GOV.UK forced marriage guidance, Crown Prosecution Service guidance, and Freedom Charity’s safeguarding resources. The allegations remain under police investigation, and readers must not treat them as proven facts.
Cheshire Police: Several people arrested following serious allegations at a religious group in Crewe
The Guardian: Crewe religious group raided by police investigating allegations of serious sexual offences
Sky News: Nine arrests made as part of sex offence investigation
The Times: Crewe religious group raided by police after allegations of abuse
ITV News Granada: Police raid religious group over forced marriage and modern slavery claims
GOV.UK: Forced marriage guidance
Crown Prosecution Service: Honour-based abuse, forced marriage and harmful practices guidance
Crown Prosecution Service: Spiritual and immigration abuse included in CPS guidance
Freedom Charity: Forced Marriage
Freedom Charity: Helpline
Freedom Charity: App
By Aneeta Prem MBE, Founder of Freedom Charity
London, 30 April 2026