Hansard

I apologise to Johann Lamont. The figure of 38 per cent that I cited for male victims was incorrect—the true figure is 15 per cent, which is still highly significant.

The Scottish Conservatives welcome today's debate and the launch of the consultation on this important issue. Following the passage of the United Kingdom Government's Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007, it is right for Scotland to consider whether legislative measures are required here to tackle the problem and, if so, what the most appropriate measures might be. Politicians here must be measured and take a gradual approach in coming to judgments on this extremely sensitive and complex issue.

The Scottish Conservatives agree strongly with the distinction that the motion makes between forced marriage—in which one or both members of the marriage are forced to marry against their free will, and which often involves abduction, abuse or imprisonment—and arranged marriages, to which both parties give their free consent. We recognise and respect the fact that arranged marriages have played and continue to play a significant role in the culture of some of our religious and ethnic minority communities. We support strongly the right of people in those communities, for whom arranged marriages are a cultural norm, to continue to use that model, which we recognise has operated successfully for families and individuals for many generations.

As I said, our judgments must be measured. The Scottish Parliament can send a strong and unified message today that forced marriage violates basic human rights. Any British citizen should be able to look to their legislators and Government to protect them against such fundamental infringements of their human rights.

When doing research for my speech, I found it difficult to discover hard statistical information on the extent of forced marriages in Scotland. Since its establishment a few years ago, the Foreign Office's dedicated forced marriage unit has tended to deal with about 300 cases a year in the UK. I am aware of alarming evidence that suggests that that number has risen significantly in the past year, but I do not know the reason for that.

I share the opinion of many campaigners that forced marriage is likely to be massively underreported, as many people are too scared or are unable to report it to the authorities. The research that the Council of British Pakistanis (Scotland) did in 2004 for its incompatible marriages project suggests that the incidence of forced marriage is much higher and that it accounts for half the marriages that involve an Asian who lives in Scotland and a partner from outside the UK.

It is clear that forced marriage affects children, teenagers and adults from all races and religions, including Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs. We all need to make it clear that although the problem is significant in the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, it is not just a problem for our Asian communities. Every year, cases in the UK involve the middle east, the western Balkans and Africa, as well as other places. About 90 per cent of forced marriages that involve a UK citizen take place abroad.

Many who look at the issue from the outside see it as a problem that affects women, but it affects men, too. The Foreign Office's forced marriage unit calculates that about 15 per cent of the cases that it deals with involve reports by male victims. The Council of British Pakistanis (Scotland) suggested in 2004 that no less than 38 per cent of victims were male—that is where I got the figure that I cited to Johann Lamont. We need to bear in mind that factor at all times and to ensure that the solutions that are offered suit women and men. I suspect that underreporting by men is even greater, because of stigma and fear among male victims.

Awareness raising is important, not least so that victims—who often have little formal education and might have no English or poor English—know their rights and what help is available. In 2006, the UK Government ran the you have a right to choose campaign, which used a series of radio and press adverts, television fillers and posters. It usefully involved two well-known Asian actors—Meera Syal and Ameet Chana. We need to be imaginative about communicating most effectively on this sensitive subject and to take different approaches that are tailored to different communities' needs.

I commend the BBC documentary producers who created this week's excellent "This World" programme, entitled "Forced to Marry". It brought vividly to the screen the human misery that is involved, which we must all work to eradicate. For anyone who did not see it, it is available on the BBC iPlayer, and I recommend it.

The Scottish Conservatives acknowledge the good work of the forced marriage network, which the previous Scottish Executive established, in bringing people together. We pay tribute to the charities and individuals who campaign to raise awareness of forced marriage and to support victims. We hope that the forced marriage network will continue to play a positive role throughout the consultation and beyond.

The Scottish Conservatives are pleased to contribute to the debate. We are happy to support the Government's motion, as it is right to deal with this difficult subject on a cross-party basis. We look forward to many individuals and organisations taking part in the consultation and to the consultation's results. If, after taking account of the UK Government's Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007, the Scottish Government decides that legislation is required, we will of course seek to work constructively to ensure that the legislation is as effective as possible, in the interests of all victims and potential victims of forced marriage.