Hindustan Times
LONDON, UK, May 14, 2003: The British government has raised the age at which a spouse can be brought to Britain in an attempt to combat forced marriages, mostly taking place in Pakistani and Bangladesh Muslim communities. The Home Secretary, introduced the measure on April 1 without making an announcement. The government has been concerned over the rising number of forced marriages of schoolgirls and the consequent troubles the girls face. Under the new rules, British 16- and 17-year-olds can no longer sponsor a husband or wife from outside the European Union. The minimum age of spouses brought to Britain has also been raised to 18. The Home Office said that the new provision will stop young girls from being pressured into marriages when they are 16 or 17 years old. “At 18 they are more able to resist parental pressure and are likely to be much more confident of their own decisions about whether they want to get married to someone living abroad whom they might never have met.”