by Richard Holmes, Telegraph
Campaigner says figures are ‘deeply disturbing’ and likely to be an under-estimate
Children under five are feared to have been forced into marriage, Home Office data have revealed.
Between 2021 and 2025, a total of 27 children aged five and under were referred to a joint Foreign Office and Home Office unit to help potential victims of forced marriage.
They are among at least 100 children aged 12 or under who were referred to the unit over the same period the figures, obtained through Freedom of Information requests, show.
The Home Office declined to provide the age of the youngest person referred to the unit in the last five calendar years, saying this could potentially lead them to be identified.
Separate data published by the Home Office in April covering all age groups showed there was a rise in the number of cases with no overseas element in recent years.
Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, a charity founder who received her damehood for services to the victims of child, forced marriage and honour-based abuse, said the findings were “deeply disturbing”.
It is a criminal offence to force someone to marry in the UK, and in 2023 the legal age of marriage was raised from 16 to 18 in England and Wales. It remains 16 in Scotland.