A forced marriage is one in which one or both spouses do not (or, in the case of some adults with learning or physical disabilities or mental incapacity, cannot) consent to the marriage, and violence, threats, or any other form of coercion is involved. Coercion may include emotional pressure, physical force or the threat of it, and financial pressure. In an arranged marriage, by contrast, both parties have consented to the union but can still refuse to marry if they choose to. Forced marriage is a criminal offence in the UK .

This publication provides information on the number of cases reported to the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) via its public helpline and email inbox from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019. The FMU logs all calls and emails received to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the records. The main categories of data that are captured by the FMU case log include (if volunteered, as some callers may wish to remain anonymous):

• details of the caller/source of information
• focus country
• UK region
• gender and age of the person at risk
• disability – be it physical, learning or both; and
• sexual orientation (if volunteered).

Read more here.