The number of investigations into child brides and grooms triples
Victorian schools are the latest battleground in the fight to stop child marriage with shocking new figures revealing just how prevalent the problem is becoming.
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The number of investigations into forced marriages of child brides and grooms is on the rise in Victoria with police probing 31 cases in just 12 months.
The new figure revealed by the Australian Federal Police is a three-fold increase from the 2017/18 financial year and comes amid warnings that the known matters are the “tip of the iceberg”.
The Herald Sun revealed in May that Victorian schools had become the latest battleground in the fight to stop child marriages in Australia.
The AFP had quietly been deploying officers in the schoolyard to raise awareness among children, teachers and parents.
However, sadly investigations still have rarely resulted in prosecution warns an AFP spokeswoman.
“We believe the increased awareness of human trafficking and slavery, in particular the offence of forced marriage, in the community has also led to a rise in the number of referrals to the AFP,’’ the spokeswoman said.
“It is often difficult for victims to come forward, for a range of reasons, many of which reflect the inherent vulnerabilities associated with the crime.
“Victims may have been threatened, forced or coerced and not all victims identified by the AFP are willing to assist in a prosecution.”
Victorian opposition spokesman for child protection Nick Wakeling said it was an issue that the state government could no longer ignore.
“It’s shocking that forced child marriages take place in Victoria at all, but to see that they have increased so dramatically over the past two years is deeply disturbing.” he said.
“Addressing child abuse and the protection of women should be Daniel Andrews’ number one priority.”
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In the bid to crackdown on the practice new Australian legislation was introduced in 2013, but prosecutions remain rare.
In 2016, a 14-year-old Melbourne girl was forced to marry a man more than double her age in a ceremony at a Noble Park mosque.
Her “husband” pleaded guilty to marrying the girl only after prosecutors dropped a sexual abuse charge.
If you or someone you know is being forced to marry and you need immediate assistance, you can call 131 237.