A new comic book has been designed to help children aged 13 to 16 understand the risks and signs of forced marriage and how they can help prevent it and protect themselves and their loved ones, based on research from the University of Nottingham.
People can be forced into marriage for economic, social and familial reasons, with signs of forced marriage including domestic abuse, a lack of independence, poor school grades, decline in behaviour and absence from social media.
The educational comic, based off work by Dr Helen McCabe at the University of Nottingham and Dr Hannah Baumeister at Liverpool John Moores University, supported by Karma Nirvana, aims to educate teenagers about forced marriage and support them to raise awareness and act as allies to those at risk or already experiencing forced marriage.
In 2022, around 300 people asked the UK Forced Marriage Unit for advice. Approximately 30% of the cases involved children.
The International Labour Organisation, Walk Free and the International Organisation for Migration, estimated that at least 22 million people were in a forced marriage worldwide in 2021. 41% of them were children and 87% of all children who were forced into marriage were girls.
Even though forced marriages are more common in some communities than others, they can happen to people of any ethnicity, culture, religion and nationality.
Forced marriage is a significant problem in the UK, despite recent changes to the law raising the age of legal marriage in England and Wales to 18. Being passionate about expanding the reach of research through art, I am very excited about Hannah's comic-book project and its potential to change lives in Nottinghamshire, and beyond."
Dr Baumeister said of the project: "It was great to see students engaging sensitively, critically and creatively with the comic and the topic of forced marriage. The workshops helped build their confidence to discuss the issue."
The comic was developed with Emma Brown, Alex Carabine, Catherine Kirk, Karma Nirvana, Savera UK, Nottingham Girls' Academy and Childwall Sports and Science Academy. The comic was also used in a pilot study at the two academies which saw students react positively to the comic book and learn from its content.
The team have also developed a teaching pack for education providers to allow them to teach students about the issues surrounding forced marriage and how to spot the signs in order to prevent it.
Affected young people, or those who suspect their friends may be victims of forced marriage, are encouraged to reach out to local police or school support services to report the issues. Support for victims of forced marriage can access support through charities that can provide education and financial support.
The following support services are available:
Childline (if you are a young person): call 0800 1111
