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Fears over forced marriages

Updated on 22 November 2008

By Katie Razzall

New laws could mean more Britons will be kept under lock and key abroad and pressured into marriages against their will. Katie Razzall reports.

Lawyers and campaigners who deal with forced marriage have told Channel 4 News they fear that new government legislation could have disastrous consequences.

Obtaining British visas for spouses, particularly from Pakistan and India, is a major factor in forced marriage. To tackle this, next week the Home Office will increase the age at which youngsters can sponsor a spouse from 18 to 21.

But critics fear British women will still be married at a young age, and held abroad until they're old enough to sign off their husband's British visa - as Katie Razzall explains.

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