“Devastating” reports of forced marriage to the national helpline have surged as experts warn the issue remains “rife” but it is difficult to see the true scale of the problem due to people not coming forward.
Exclusive data from Karma Nirvana, which supports forced marriage victims, shows its helpline dealt with 42 per cent more cases between April 2022 and March 2023 than they did in the same period two years before – up from 380 cases in 2020-21 to 536 this year.
