British Parliament Turns on Forced-Marriage Law

An initiative to criminalize forced marriage has been taken off the British government’s agenda: despite encouragement from the Home Affairs committee to enforce existing protection orders against forced marriage with the promise of criminal punishment, it doesn’t look as if a new forced-marriage crime will be created any time soon. In a report on the matter, frustrated members of Parliament argued that “the lack of criminal sanction also sends a message, and currently that is a weaker message than we believe is needed.” Speaking to Parliament, Prime Minister David Cameron said he’d consider criminalization, but according to the BBC, his office’s written response to the committee’s appeal denies that the current law is insufficient.