Letter of Agreement outlines coordinated response to victims of forced marriage

Police have signed a letter of agreement which outlines an inter-agency response for victims of forced marriage in New Zealand.

The signatories to the Letter of Agreement (LoA) with Police are: Child, Youth and Family, Work and Income and Family and Community Services (service lines of Ministry of Social Development), Ministry of Education and Immigration New Zealand.

National Manager Family Violence for NZ Police Inspector Brigitte Nimmo says forced marriage has been identified as an emerging issue in New Zealand.

"While, we don't have hard data on the number of cases in New Zealand, we do know that forced and underage marriage is happening here.  We also know that victims rarely come forward for many reasons.  Often they are very young, and it can be difficult for cultural and family reasons."

"It is timely to ensure we have a recognised, effective and safe pathway for victims of forced marriage."

"Victims need a lot of support from a range of agencies to make sure they, and their families can successfully move on with their lives."

"We want people to know that regardless of where a victim may choose to make a disclosure of forced marriage, a platform is in place to provide a coordinated response that will address safety and the needs of that person in the short to medium term.

"We need to send a message to victims that there is growing awareness about the complexity of the issue and help and ongoing support is now available," Inspector Nimmo said

Forced marriage is defined in the letter of agreement as one where "a marriage is conducted without the valid consent of both parties where duress is a factor. Duress may include physical, psychological, financial, sexual and emotional pressure. Duress may occur prior to, during the arrangement of a forced marriage and continue once it has taken place."

Police have worked closely with Child, Youth and Family, other Government agencies, NGO's and communities over a 12 month period to develop a process around disclosures of forced marriage.

The LOA sets each agency's commitment to supporting victims and their policy and procedures in response to forced marriage as well as setting out how the response will be coordinated between agencies.

Information about the collaborative and individual responses that will be provided by involved agencies can be located on their websites.

The LOA can be found on the Police website: http://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/resources/multi-agency-response-potential-and-actual-forced-marriage.pdf