U.K. - Forced marriage: 120 cases a month this year as David Cameron outlaws ‘virtual slavery’.

U.K. - Forced marriage: 120 cases a month this year as David Cameron outlaws ‘virtual slavery’.(Telegraph). The Home Office released details of the caseload of the Government’s dedicated Forced Marriage Unit showing that it has been handling around 120 cases a month. The figures suggest a rise in the number children under threat of forced marriage, with 14 per cent of those dealt with aged under 15, compared with 10 per cent last year. There was also a handful of homosexual people fearing they are being forced into a marriage and 25 of those who came forward were disabled, some severely. But the figures are thought to be the tip of the iceberg with some estimates suggesting the real instance of forced marriage could be up to five times that amount. Mr Cameron and Theresa May, the Home Secretary, are announcing plans to make forced marriage a crime today after rejecting claims that banning the practice would simply drive it underground.There will also be a new publicity campaign and extra training for social workers, police, lawyers and judges to help them spot the signs. But campaigners last night warned that the plans look set to fail to tackle a key loophole in the law which could be behind hundreds of forced marriages a year involving vulnerable people with learning difficulties. Mandy Sanghera, a campaigner on honour violence who has advised the home office on forced marriage, said that people who lack the capacity to consent to marriage are routinely being allowed to sponsor visa applications for would-be spouses without query. Mr Cameron said: “Forced marriage is abhorrent and is little more than slavery. “To force anyone into marriage against their will is simply wrong and that is why we have taken decisive action to make it illegal. “I have listened to concerns that criminalisation could force this most distressing issue underground. “That is why we have a new comprehensive package to identify possible victims, support those who have suffered first hand and, indeed, prevent criminality wherever possible.”Read the full story here.