In the lead up to the UN's World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30th, Medaille Trust will be exploring the issue of forced marriage as a form of modern slavery.
What is a forced marriage?
By the official definition under UK law, a forced marriage is "where one or both people do not or cannot consent to the marriage, and pressure or abuse is used to force them into marriage. It is also when anything is done to make someone marry before they turn 18, even if there is no pressure or abuse". Coercive behaviours to force people to marry against their will may include physical threats of violence and/or emotional and psychological abuse. It is considered a form of modern slavery.
Forced marriage is most commonly understood as a form of honour-based abuse, and centres around maintaining the perceived "reputation" a family or community. There can be many aspects to it which transcend cultural, religious and geographical boundaries.
Over the years, we've witnessed first hand the terrible imapact that forced marriages can have on the survivors we work with. Survivors like Emina.
Yuri's Story
Yuri* was in his mid-twenties, working on the family farm when his father passed away unexpectedly. He says “My brothers were in the UK where they had made new lives and my sisters were unable to take on the farm. I felt under a huge amount of stress trying to keep the farm running”. When the daughter of a family friend suggested they marry and he could move to the UK to support her as she had her own beauty business here it seemed like a great solution. She told him she had a large house she lived in alone and would split the business profits between them.
“I was so happy on my wedding day, it felt like a new beginning” says Yuri, although it was a further two years before he was able to join his wife in the UK. Once here, he soon realised that the situation was drastically different to the future he had pictured. “I discovered my wife had a ‘gangster’ boyfriend who lived in our house. They gave me work to do like cleaning and cooking and would threaten to beat me if I resisted”. On one occasion his wife took a fork and stabbed it into his hand, causing a major injury. He was forced not sleep on the floor and when they went out he was locked inside the house. His wife said she would call the police if he did not do as she told him and he would be deported. As Yuri did not speak English and did not know the laws in this country he was terrified of the police and being put in prison.
“My mental health suffered massively. I did not know how I could escape and start over again”.
The one activity he was allowed to do was to go to his place of faith once a week, and here he met a man who vaguely knew one of Yuri’s brothers. He told Yuri to get his papers and to be ready to escape. He then went to Yuri’s brother and told him what was happening. As soon as Yuri’s wife and her boyfriend left the house, Yuri’s brother helped him escape.
Yuri is now in a Medaille safe house getting the support he needs to rebuild his life. “I am grateful and thankful for the support I am getting from Medaille Trust” says Yuri. It took a while to build up the trust and confidence, but he has now reported the situation to the police and with the help of his Case Worker is getting to apply for legal status in the UK.
*Names have been changed to protect the anonymity of our survivors.
Emina's Story
Emina* was 20 years old when her family forced her to marry a man she didn’t know. Brought to the UK, Emina spent two years with her husband before he threw her out on the streets. With nowhere to go and an unstable immigration status, a chance meeting with a Medaille Trust outreach worker gave Emina hope for a better future.
Raised in Albania, Emina was 20 years old when her father told her that he’d identified a suitable husband for her and that she was going to marry. Although she planned to go to university, Emina’s objections to the marriage were met with physical and verbal abuse.
A traditional ceremony took place in Albania before Emina and her new husband travelled across Europe to the UK. Settling in the south, Emina was made to look after relatives’ children and do household chores while waiting for her spousal visa to come through. She was told that she would then need to work and pay the family back for the money spent in getting her to the UK. Emina kept her life in the UK secret from her family because she didn't want to bring shame to them or for her father to get angry. She desparately did not want any blood feuds to be created between their families.
After two years, Emina started objecting to the way she was being treated. When her husband decided he’d had enough he abandoned her, leaving her homeless and vulnerable due to her unstable immigration status. She spent some time in asylum accommodation before she found out she was being evicted.
Visiting a local asylum support service, Emina met with Medaille Trust’s outreach worker who happened to be there on that day and recognised the signs of modern slavery in her situation. As one of only a small number of voluntary organisations designated as a First Responder, we guided Emina through the process of entering the National Referral Mechanism, where she could access support as a potential victim of modern slavery.
While waiting for a first-stage decision on whether Emina qualified for support, a request for emergency housing was made. This was initially refused, so our team advocated on Emina’s behalf as, with no recourse to public funds, she couldn’t claim benefits or housing assistance. The decision was overturned and Emina was placed in one of our safehouses.
While Emina is receiving the support she needs, her future looks uncertain. Her application for asylum was declined and she has been given no right of appeal by the Home Office under certification of the UK-Albania agreement.
*Names have been changed to protect the anonymity of our survivors.
What you can do
As a charity, Medaille Trust would not be able to help our survivors without our supporters.
A £5 donation (the cost of a buttonhole) allows us to purchase hygiene products for a care package given to survivors when they arrive
A £25 donation (the cost of 10 Save the Date cards) enables us to hold a one-to-one meeting with a survivor in the community where they live.
A £50 donation (approximate average price of a wedding gift in the UK) allows up to host a wellbeing activity or craft/art therapy session for 10 participants