Forced Marriage Figures 2024

 The Full Forced Marriage Figures 2024

When Marriage Is a Weapon: The Full 2024 Forced Marriage Figures Revealed
By Aneeta Prem MBE | Founder of Freedom Charity | Human Rights Campaigner | Legal Reformer

“We changed the law. Now we must change the culture.” — Aneeta Prem

What This Blog Covers:

• 2024 Government figures on forced marriage

• The rise in child victims despite the new law

• How Freedom Charity responds — and what must change

• The countries involved — and the role of UK-based abuse

• Quotes, calls to action, and national recommendations

2024 Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) Statistics – The Truth in Full

The latest UK Government statistics on forced marriage tell a sobering story.

Key Data from FMU (2024):

• 812 total contacts (calls and emails)

• 240 formal safeguarding cases – down from 283 in 2023 (a 15% fall)

• 572 enquiries for signposting or general advice

• 11 cases related to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

A fall in recorded cases does not indicate progress. It may point instead to:

• Under-reporting

• Victims going unseen or unheard

• Professionals handling cases without FMU referrals

• Reduced visibility or funding for the FMU itself

Children at Risk

• 83 victims (35%) were aged 17 or under

• 37 were aged 15 or younger

• This is a 9-point increase in child cases vs. 2023

This is despite the 2022 Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act, which bans marriage under 18 in all circumstances.

“If a 15-year-old is being forced into marriage in 2024, it means somewhere in this system, an adult has failed them.” — Aneeta Prem

Adults Lacking Mental Capacity

• 63 victims (26%) lacked capacity to consent

• 67% were male

• 59% were aged 26 or over

• 62% had Pakistan listed as the ‘focus country’

These cases involve vulnerable adults — often with learning disabilities — married off under the guise of ‘care’ but used for control, financial exploitation or domestic labour.

“This isn’t care. It’s control disguised as culture. And the system is still letting it happen.” — Aneeta Prem

Timing of Intervention

• 125 cases (52%) were reported after the marriage

• 107 cases (45%) were intercepted before the marriage occurred

• 15 cases (6%) happened entirely within the UK

82% of victims were based in the UK at the time of referral.

“This isn’t an issue of travel or tradition. It’s happening here. It’s a domestic safeguarding failure.” — Aneeta Prem

Focus Countries: Where the Cases Originated

The FMU recorded links to 34 countries in 2024. These include where the marriage was intended to occur or the country of family origin.

Top 7 Focus Countries (by number of cases):

“This isn’t a foreign problem. This is happening in homes across Britain — behind school gates, in GP surgeries, in courtrooms. It must be addressed with urgency and clarity.” — Aneeta Prem
“No religion permits this. This isn’t about faith. It’s about fear, power, and control.” — Aneeta Prem

Referral Sources

Only 1 in 10 victims reported directly.

“No child should have to plead for protection. If we’re serious about safeguarding, silence cannot be an excuse.” — Aneeta Prem

Monthly Trends

• May: 42 cases (highest)

• March: 28 cases

• January: 23 cases

• Lowest reports during September–November

Trends follow school holidays, exams, and wedding seasons.

Repatriation: Just Five People in 2024

Only five people were repatriated from overseas, not due to fewer cases, but because many are handled via Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs) or voluntary returns.

“Five repatriations might seem small. But behind each form is a child protected, a future reclaimed.” — Aneeta Prem

FMU Training and Awareness Gaps

• 3,655 professionals trained face-to-face

• 5,800 completed the FMU online course

Still missing:

• SEN (Special Educational Needs) teams

• NHS and GP staff

• Civil registrars

• Family courts and magistrates

• Faith leaders

Freedom Charity’s National Impact

Freedom Charity was founded to act where others hesitate. In 2024, we:

• Educated 100,000+ children on forced marriage and dishonour-based abuse

• Donated 100,000+ safeguarding books (But It’s Not Fair, Cut Flowers)

• Supported the law to raise the marriage age to 18

• Launched ‘Not in My Name’ — a campaign for boys to help stop forced marriage

• Delivered training to teachers, police, NHS staff, and magistrates

• Run a national helpline, supporting victims and professionals

• Delivered PSHE lesson plans based on Aneeta Prem’s books

• 250,000 app downloads of our safeguarding tool

“We protect children with law, courage, and urgency.” — Aneeta Prem

What Must Happen Now

1. Compulsory safeguarding education on forced marriage in every school

2. A national public register of FMPOs

3. Mandatory reporting duty for child marriage (mirroring FGM law)

4. Long-term funding for frontline experts

5. A Forced Marriage Lead on every local safeguarding board

Final Word

Forced marriage is not culture — it is a crime, a breach of human rights, and a form of modern slavery.

“Every time a child is forced to marry, it is a breach of the law, of human rights, and of everything we claim to be as a society.” — Aneeta Prem

Contact for Press and Partnerships

• Website: www.freedomcharity.org.uk

• Email: [email protected]

• Phone: 07958 737491

• Twitter/X: @AneetaPrem | @FreedomCharity

Hashtags for Visibility

#ForcedMarriage #FreedomCharity #Safeguarding #FGM #ModernSlavery #HumanRights #EndChildMarriage #MentalCapacity #AneetaPrem

References (Fully Fact-Checked)

1. FMU 2024: Total contact data

2. FMU 2024: Case definitions

3. Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022

4. FMU Table 7: Mental capacity cases

5. FMU Section 12: Timing of cases

6. FMU Table 6: Focus countries

7. FMU Section 4: Referral breakdown

8. FMU Table 2: Monthly case patterns

9. FMU Section 13: Repatriation figures

10. freedom charity Training Outputs 2024