British government data has revealed that at least 100 children under the age of twelve have been identified over five years as likely forced into marriage — a practice opponents are now tying directly to the UK’s mass migration wave.
A Freedom of Information request made to the Home Office disclosed that between 2021 and 2025, the Forced Marriage Unit received tips from family, friends, police, teachers, and social services about at least 100 girls aged 11 or younger believed to be forced into marriage.
Of those identified, 27 girls were under the age of five when they were being set up for forced marriage, according to The Telegraph.
“This sudden rise in forced marriages tracks almost perfectly with the Boriswave, which saw the Tories import four million new people into the UK. The Conservatives will never be forgiven for this complete and utter betrayal.”
Reform UK Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf attributed the apparent rise in forced child marriages to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit migration reforms, which brought record waves of migrants into the country.
The Home Office attempted to downplay the immigration connection, with a spokesman claiming forced marriage was “not a problem specific to one country, religion or culture.”
But the United Nations Children’s Fund has previously found that certain regions are far more likely than others to practice forced child marriage.
According to UNICEF, South Asia — including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh — is home to the largest number of child brides in the world, at an estimated 285 million or around 44 percent of the global total. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for around 18 percent of the global total at 115 million.
The government data is limited to cases where tips were placed to the Forced Marriage Unit and does not constitute definitive proof. The Home Office also does not always disclose data surrounding child marriage for fear of leading to public identification of victims.
During one year between 2021 and 2025, there were fewer than five potential victims within each defined age bracket, so the Home Office declined to disclose data for the entire year to avoid making it easier to identify specific victims.
Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, founder of the Karma Nirvana charity, which raises awareness about honor-based abuse and forced marriage, said perpetrators often attempt to use religion or accusations of racism against those seeking to protect girls.
“They will try and put you on the back foot. ‘This is our culture. This is our religion. You’re being racist’ or whatever, to put you on the back foot, to make you look the other way…Cultural acceptance does not mean accepting the unacceptable.”
Dame Jasvinder, whose own Sikh parents attempted to force her into marrying as a child, has previously noted that the practice is happening within Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities.
The Home Office has not announced any new enforcement measures in response to the data.
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 2, 2025
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