A LEADING campaigner who survived a forced marriage has urged authorities to be firmer against such offences – after figures obtained by the Telegraph & Argus revealed only two convictions since 2014 in West Yorkshire.

Jasvinder Sanghera was 16 when she left her parental home after learning at 14 that she was promised to a man she had never met.

She went on to set up Leeds-based Karma Nirvana, an award-winning charity which has been supporting victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage for the past 25 years.

She said she was not surprised by the low conviction rates and said the issue was actually much more severe as her charity received numerous calls regarding forced marriage, particularly from West Yorkshire.

She said: “On a national scale, thousands of people are reporting this now.

“West Yorkshire, given its demographic – and that’s not just with South Asian citizens – is one of our top calling areas.”

Forced marriage has been a criminal offence since new legislation was introduced four years ago, under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

A Freedom of Information Request (FOI) put in to West Yorkshire Police by the T&A showed that since 2014 up until May 30 this year, there have been 59 recorded forced marriage crimes in the county.

Only one of these cases resulted in convictions, where a mother and a father were jailed in Leeds for trying to force their daughter to marry in Bangladesh earlier this year.

There had been eight recorded crimes up to the end of May 2018 this year – half the total recorded amount last year.

There have only ever been three convictions across the country and less than 10 per cent of cases in West Yorkshire have led to charges, with five charges out of 59 crimes.

Ms Sanghera said one area of particular concern was the details in the FOI highlighting the youngest victim for each year.

The data shows that the youngest victim on record was only 13 years old.

She said: “Looking at the breakdown, at the youngest victims, I have to say first and foremost that for those under the age of 16, there’s a clear safeguarding issue.

“As far as I’m concerned, parents are aiding and abetting potential rape. We know this and we’ve got to understand this is children we’re talking about. We need to demonstrate and show leadership.

“Where are they today? Are they back with families?

“It’s not good enough, these children are finding the courage to speak up but then they’re not convicting – the law has to act to convict but also to act as a deterrent.”

Detective Chief Inspector Fran Naughton, of West Yorkshire Police’s Safeguarding Central Governance Unit, said she hoped the three convictions across the country would encourage others to come forward.

“Certainly, the victim in the West Yorkshire case said she wanted her case to show other victims that they can come forward to the authorities with confidence and they will be listened to and safeguarded,” she said.

Ms Sanghera said parents would use intimidation tactics, such as threatening disownment, to prevent a case going further.

DCI Naughton said: “One of the reasons for low conviction levels for this offence is that the perpetrators will generally be members of the victim’s family and there can be a reticence to criminalise people that they have such a strong emotional tie to.

“We will always respect the views of the victim when considering whether prosecution is the most appropriate option and do utilise other powers such as applying for Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPO).”

A FMPO can lead to a number of interventions including handing over travel documents or revealing the whereabouts of a person. Breaking an FMPO is a criminal offence that can lead to a sentence of up to five years.

Ms Sanghera said the police and child protection services needed to be firmer and apply FMPOs without discrimination, as many victims would return to their family home if a prosecution was not taken up, potentially putting them in danger.

She said: “The parents need to understand they’re now being pursued.

“We need to take the weight of responsibility off the child and onto the authorities, that’s what we’re here to do. The child has already taken the courage to raise alarm bells.

“If a Forced Marriage Protection Order hasn’t been taken out in these cases, I’d be appalled. All that is done then is the child is returned and the situation has been made worse for them.

“What happens is, the family are alerted that professionals are involved, then they change their tactics and the child could still become a victim. They could be moved to another city or another school.

“From a safeguarding perspective we have a duty to protect and remove, that’s what I’d expect.

“How many of those victims are still in the country now?”

She added: “The full arm of the law is not being used as it should be. A clear message needs to be given, that we do not tolerate it in this country.

“We do have a strong relationship with West Yorkshire Police, we help train them, we have good communication. But I’m not feeling there’s a strong deterrent.”

DCI Naughton said: “What is vital is that victims of forced marriage or people with concerns report it to the police so that the victim can be appropriately safeguarded and supported.”