Sharia UK: Police ‘Turn a Blind Eye’ to Child Brides, Thousands of Victims, No Prosecutions

Clearly, the sharia (not offending or criticizing Islam) takes precedence over the child rape, child marriage, Muslim rape/grooming gangs and forced marriage.

Forced marriage: Police ‘turn a blind eye’ to child brides

Police forces have been accused of failing thousands of victims of forced marriages by charging a suspect in only one in 38 cases.

Only three cases of forced marriage have resulted in a conviction since it became illegal four years ago

The Independent, August 4, 2018:

Officials at the Home Office received more than 3,800 reports of forced marriages or victims being at risk of forced marriage in the past three years. Hundreds of the victims are children, with the youngest only four years old.

However, The Times surveyed police forces and found that fewer than 80 suspects had been charged in this time. It became illegal to force someone to marry in 2014 but only three cases have resulted in convictions.

Yesterday the police watchdog said that it would act to ensure that forces improved their performance and that victims were adequately protected.

Campaigners accused officers of turning a blind eye to victims’ complaints.

The findings come as Sajid Javid, the home secretary, instigated an investigation and conceded that more needed to be done by his department to protect victims.

Officials at the government’s forced marriage unit (FMU) received 1,196 reports last year, 1,428 in 2016 and 1,220 in 2015, a total of 3,844 in three years. About 30 per cent of victims last year were younger than 18 and half of those were 15 or under. The vast majority of victims were female.

The survey of police forces by The Times found that 77 suspects had been charged in this time. The charges included forcing someone to marry and assault in cases linked to a forced marriage. One in four police forces did not respond, suggesting that the true figure would be about 100 in three years, a charge rate of less than 3 per cent.

The rate for sexual offences, which is notoriously low, was 6.5 per cent to the year ending June 2017. For weapons offences in the same period it was 44 per cent.

In Lancashire there have been 259 police investigations linked to forced marriages over the past three years but no charges. More than 50 of the victims were under 16.

The Metropolitan Police have recorded 260 offences over three years and 26 charges. The majority related to assault and none was for the specific offence of forcing someone to marry. Two victims were under ten years old.

Jasvinder Sanghera, the founder of Karma Nirvana, which supports victims of forced marriage, said: “We’ve got a number of professionals who are turning a blind eye. They don’t want to rock the multicultural boat.”

Usha Sood, a barrister and expert on forced marriage, said: “The distinction between an arranged and forced marriage seems to fox the authorities but there should be no dilemma about it. It’s about pulling the veil away from the idea that this is arranged and saying no, this is forced.”

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, the police watchdog, reviewed forces’ responses to forced marriage cases in 2015. A spokesman told The Times: “We concluded that the police service had some way to go before the public could be confident that potential and actual victims were adequately and effectively protected. We are considering the scope of follow-up activity.”

Forces deny having turned a blind eye to concerns and say that investigations are particularly complex because victims fear making statements that can be seen by their families. The same issue is at the heart of problems with victims blocking visas for their spouses, as they have to object publicly to be sure that they will be denied entry to Britain.

Commander Ivan Balhatchet, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said: “Police are committed to protecting victims and pursuing offenders through the criminal justice system. The isolation, threats and violence that victims of forced marriage experience means that this is not something that can be tackled by police alone and requires close partnership with public and third-sector organisations.”

Detective Chief Inspector Joanne McHugh, of Lancashire police, said: “Many of the reports recorded as forced marriage incident are found not to be of that nature, albeit the person reporting had genuine concern. Potential victims are often unwilling to support a prosecution against a family member.”

The Metropolitan Police said that victims wanted the abuse to stop but did not necessarily want a family member to be prosecuted. A spokesman added: “Our fundamental aims are always to preserve life, protect those at risk and seek to bring perpetrators to justice.”