Woman Recounts Horrific Forced Marriage Ordeal as UK Government Plans to Uncover Hidden Crisis

A woman, whose identity Millenium TV has protected, has shared a harrowing account of the abuse she endured after being coerced into marriage, highlighting the urgent need for action against this illegal practice in the United Kingdom.

At just 21 years old, “Sara,” as she will be known, was forced into marriage in Pakistan. She described her husband’s escalating controlling behavior, which included terrifying threats. Her situation worsened significantly upon her arrival in the UK in 2022, where she was compelled to live with his parents. What she hoped would be a happy married life quickly devolved into servitude and violence, with her in-laws forcing her into domestic labor and her husband resorting to physical assaults.

Forced marriage, where one or both parties do not consent, has been illegal in the UK since the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act of 2014, carrying a potential prison sentence of up to seven years. While Crown Prosecution Service figures for last year show 30 prosecutions and 16 convictions for the crime, charities assert these numbers do not accurately reflect the true scale of the problem. Karma Nirvana, a Derby-founded organization assisting victims, received 624 calls to its helpline last year, nearly triple the 229 calls reported by the Home Office’s Forced Marriage Unit.

Isolated and unfamiliar with England, Sara was initially promised a “better life.” However, her movements and activities were soon severely restricted. “Don’t go out, don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t do a job, stay at home only,” she recounted being told. She was also subjected to threats, with her in-laws warning her she would be attacked if she ever left the marital home alone.

Her circumstances deteriorated further when her husband became physically violent. She described incidents where he would throw objects at her, push her, and kick her. The abuse intensified dramatically when her husband and his family cut off the Wi-Fi on her phone, severing her connection to her family and friends back home. When she confronted her husband, she says he erupted in anger, throwing a TV remote and keys at her face. “He held my neck. He pushed me against the wall. He hit me three to four times on my head,” Sara revealed, expressing that she felt she was suffocating and feared for her life. Her mother-in-law, she claims, witnessed the assault and merely told her she should have kept quiet.

Following a night of terror and despair, Sara made the courageous decision to call the police at six in the morning. Officers responded swiftly, finding her in a state of extreme distress. Millenium TV has learned that police removed Sara from the home, securing her refuge at a shelter in Leeds in December 2022. While her husband was arrested, Sara chose not to pursue further legal action due to concerns for her family’s safety in Pakistan, and no charges were ultimately filed.

By July of last year, Sara had divorced her abusive husband. She expressed fears of returning to Pakistan, citing the stigma faced by divorced women and the likelihood of being forced into another marriage. She has since been granted settled status in the UK, is learning English, and is actively rebuilding her life in the Derbyshire area.

Sara implored those involved in forced marriages to reconsider their actions. “By having a forced marriage, you are ruining the life of another person,” she stated, emphasizing that the impact extends beyond just the women involved. “It’s not that a girl’s life is ruined, boys’ lives are also ruined. We should first think about it, see it, understand it.”

In an effort to better understand the true prevalence of forced marriage, the Home Office has announced a pilot study. This initiative is part of broader measures to combat honor-based abuse and seeks to establish reliable data on the number of affected individuals. The department has been collaborating with professors from the University of Nottingham and the University of Birmingham to develop a data tool for this purpose.

Dr. Helen McCabe, an associate professor of political theory at the University of Nottingham, explained that this will be the first prevalence study of its kind in England and Wales. She underscored its importance in determining whether forced marriage is increasing and how policies can be adapted to reduce it. “Unless we know how many people are affected, we can’t tell whether the police should change their practice or the Crown Prosecution Service or anything else without some baseline data of how many people are involved,” Dr. McCabe told Millenium TV. The Home Office plans to further test and develop this tool, with results expected by March, aiming to inform government strategies and resource allocation.

Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, reaffirmed the government’s commitment. “This government is introducing changes to laws and other measures to tackle this debilitating form of abuse and setting a clear direction for front-line staff that they must treat these crimes with the seriousness that they deserve,” she said in a statement. “My message to those who commit these crimes is simple: we will bring you to justice.”