Media Release
Schools urged to help the AFP prevent forced marriage
Editor’s note: Audio grabs of Commander Schneider available via Hightail
The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) has urged school communities to be alert to signs of children being forced to marry, with forced marriages the most reported human trafficking offence in Australia.
The AFP responded to 91 reports of forced marriages in 2023-24, which represented almost 25 per cent of the 382 reports received that year across all human trafficking offence types.
AFP Human Exploitation Commander Helen Schneider said schools were on the front line of identifying and preventing this, because they are often best-placed to spot signs of forced marriage in school-aged children.
Things like a sudden change in domestic arrangements, heightened anxiety when talking about family matters or holidays, or having very limited independence can be early indicators of forced marriage,” Commander Schneider said.
The definition of a forced marriage is when a person enters a marriage without freely and fully consenting, because they have been coerced, threatened, or deceived, or because they are incapable of understanding the nature and effect of a marriage ceremony, for reasons including age or mental capacity.
Commander Schneider said forced marriage was a complex and underreported crime because victims are often young and may be reluctant to come forward to authorities.
The AFP takes a victim-centric approach to forced marriage that puts the safety and wellbeing of the victim first,” Commander Schneider said.
The AFP’s focus is to prevent this crime – by raising awareness of the laws in Australia, the warning signs of forced marriage and the help that we can provide to victims."
Human Exploitation Community Officers (HECOs) engage at-risk areas of the community including with schools where concerns have been raised about forced marriage. HECOs deliver targeted education and prevention initiatives with a focus on available options to seek assistance.”
However, the AFP will prosecute if someone has been forced to marry against their will.”
Commander Schneider said anyone could be a victim of forced marriage, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, age or gender.
Reports of forced marriage have been increasing in recent years, but the AFP and ACCCE believes there are many cases that we do not know about.
If you suspect you, or someone you know at school is being forced, threatened, coerced or deceived into marriage, please do not hesitate to seek help. If you do not feel comfortable speaking to police there are other services and agencies that can provide support.”
In July, 2024, a Victorian woman became the first Australian to be convicted of arranging a forced marriage. She was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for making her daughter, then 20, marry a man against her will. Less than six months’ later, the woman's daughter was murdered by the man.
Victims of forced marriage are also likely to suffer domestic and sexual abuse and other forms of violence and exploitation*.
Common signs of forced marriage include a person who may:
- Have a family history of elder siblings leaving education early, marrying early or indicating concerns of an early marriage;
- Be highly controlled by family or community members in and outside of the home, including being the target of surveillance; always accompanied; limited or no control of finances; limited or no control over life decisions, education and career choices;
- Have communications monitored or restricted;
- Express concern regarding an upcoming family holiday or overseas travel;
- Demonstrate feelings of conflict or concern for the ramifications if they do not go ahead with an agreed marriage or engagement; and
- Express concern of physical or psychological violence for not fulfilling family or community expectations.
Forced marriage has been illegal in Australia since 2013, with the laws tightened in 2019 to extend protection to children under 16. It can apply to legally recognised marriages, cultural or religious ceremonies, marriages which occur in Australia or where a person is taken overseas to be married, and can include the conduct of those involved in facilitating the forced marriage.
Forced marriages are different to legally arranged marriages which are entered into with the full knowledge and consent of all parties.
If you suspect that you or another person has experienced, or is at risk of, forced marriage or human trafficking, call 131 AFP (237) or use the AFP’s human trafficking online information report.
If you have immediate concerns for your safety, the safety of another person, or there is an emergency, dial Triple Zero (000).
My Blue Sky, an initiative of ACCCE partner Anti-Slavery Australia, delivers specialised advice and support to individuals and communities affected by forced marriage.
Life Without Barrier’s Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program (FMSSP), funded by the Federal Government, assists victims of human trafficking, slavery and slavery-like practices.
*Australian Institute of Criminology – When saying no is not an option: Forced Marriage in Australia and New Zealand
