Legal News

Downing Street has announced that Davis Cameron is to host a Girls’ Summit to tackle the issue of the increasing number of girls under the age of 16 from Syrian families, who are forced to marry because their parents are refugees and are living in extreme poverty.

The rise in the number of young girls from refugee families fleeing the conflict in Syria is just one effect the political situation in Syria is having on families.

The Guardian reports that destitute refugee families with daughters under 16 feel marriage is the best protection against sexual abuse for their daughters. Girls as young as nine may have been forced into marriage by refugee families who fear their daughters may be subjected to sexual violence.

New figures from children’s charity UNICEF show that as many as one in five girls from Syrian refugee families have been forced into marriage in the last year as the conflict in Syria has worsened – an increase from just one in eight girls a year ago.

The government’s International Development Secretary Justine Greening said that the UK would ask its financial partners to provide funding for “safe spaces” for women who have suffered sexual violence.

A £36 million package of aid for Syrian refugees will also include an allocation of £6m for the charity Doctors of the World. The funding will provide support for women and those who have been victims of gender-based and sexual violence as a result of the Syrian conflict.

The International Development Secretary has recently been in New York working on plans for the Girls’ Summit with the United Nations (UN).

Speaking to The Guardian, Ms Greening said that many young girls from Syria’s refugee families never see their families again after they are married. She added that 20% of Syria girls are now married by the age of 16 – a statistic she referred to as “shocking”.

“One of the unwritten stories of the Syrian crisis is the impact it has had on young and adolescent girls – many of whom have been married off often for economic reasons,” said Ms Greening.

"Many of them are married to men that they have no knowledge of at all – who may literally be turning up to find a bride.
“That may be the last they see of their family – they are often taken entirely away from their family, away from the camp, even out of Lebanon or Jordan. It is a terrible situation.

“The prospect of being able to get a so-called 'bride price' for your daughter –while also reducing the number of mouths you have to feed in your family by one – for many families it is an almost impossible choice they face, but it is one they face…It is a terrible, terrible situation these girls find themselves in.

“It is bad enough as a child being affected by the refugee crisis in Syria – it is bad enough being out of school. But to lose not only your education but the chance for education in the future – the chance for an employment opportunity – is a horrible, horrible fate for these girls.”

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors – Citizenship and Marriage in the UK

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of immigration and asylum solicitors and can advise on immigration and asylum in the UK, including asylum appeals, illegal entry to the UK and detention.

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors can aslo advise on citizenship and marriage in the UK – and the Duncan Lewis team of family solicitors can advise on issues such as domestic violence and child abuse.

Duncan Lewis is a leading provider of Legal Aid services.
For expert legal advice on immigration and asylum in the UK, contact Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.
For help with domestic violence call the Duncan Lewis Domestic Violence Emergency Helpline on 07920 077054.