A young British woman flew back to the UK on her own after fleeing a forced marriage, it was revealed Tuesday. She returned to Heathrow by herself after escaping from her husband while on her honeymoon. When he returned he was intercepted at the airport but it is not currently clear if a criminal probe is underway.
Check-in staff and cabin crew at airlines, including EasyJet, are being trained to spot victims of forced marriage, FGM and modern slavery. But police stressed airport interventions are a last resort, with the focus on changing attitudes and prevention.
The woman’s story emerged as Scotland Yard launched an operation at the UK’s busiest airport to raise awareness of forced marriage. Police officers, along with Border Force, are aiming to identify victims and perpetrators of the practice, as well as those at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM), honour-based abuse and breast ironing, as they return to the UK.
The operation is part of a national week-long crackdown on forced marriage, dubbed Operation Limelight, focusing on flights to and from countries where the practice is the most common.
Last year, the Home Office supported victims in 1,764 suspected cases of forced marriage, 574 of which involved under-18s.
These cases were linked to 74 different countries, the most common of which involved travel to Pakistan (769 cases), Bangladesh (157 cases) and India (110 cases).
Officials say real numbers are likely to be much higher because the crime goes unreported.
Polly Harrar, founder of the Sharan Project charity, said forced marriage victims have been identified between the ages of two and 80.
