Hundreds of gay and lesbian people in the UK are being forced into arranged heterosexual marriages, research has found.
West Midlands Police say the number of people contacting them regarding a forced straight marriage has markedly increased.
The force say they had at least 30 cases of LGBT people contacting them regarding forced marriages in the last year.
However the figure is likely to be significantly higher, with most feeling too ashamed to report their situations.
Many fear that they will bring shame on their families if they speak out about their situation.
Some past cases have involved young LGBT people being falsely imprisoned, beaten and even sexually assaulted by family members.
The BBC has been contacted by 22 LGBT people from the community who say they have faced the situation.
Many confirmed they felt obliged to go ahead for fear of the repercussions.
Det Sgt Trudy Gittins, from the West Midlands force, said the people coming forward from the LGBT community in recent months are from all walks of life.
She told the BBC: “We’ve got professional well-educated people who still feel that immense pressure because there’s a whole expectation that they will not bring shame on their family,” she said.
“Homophobia is rife in some communities and to be seen as being gay or lesbian or bisexual it can absolutely destroy the dynamic of that community and this person just has that burden every single day and it can cause a great deal of anxiety and distress and in some cases they also feel suicidal.”
Figures from the Foreign Office and Home Office show 30 LGBT people who contacted the unit last year were among the 1,428 people who asked for help.
The government says it acknowledges that actual numbers involving LGBT people could be “significantly higher”, as it did not explicitly ask people whether their sexuality was the trigger for the forced marriage.
by Benjamin Butterworth
Source – PinkNews
