New legislation introduced to parliament today clarifies what a forced marriage is and what increased penalties enforcers could face.
It follows the criminalisation of forced marriage in 2013.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan the government would also help implement means for young women at risk to develop escape plans.
In a statement, Mr Keenan said the government would prosecute anyone found to be coercing, threatening or deceiving someone into marriage.
“Forced marriage is an insidious and hidden crime,” he said.
“It is illegal and there is no place for it in Australia.”
If successful, the legislation will:
- Increase maximum penalty for an aggravated forced marriage to nine years in prison
- Increase the maximum penalty for non-aggravated forced marriage offences to seven years in prison
- Amend the definition of forced marriage to cover arrangements where a person is “incapable of understanding the nature and effect of a marriage ceremony”
- Amend the definition to state that a child under the age of 16 is presumed to have not understood the marriage ceremony and therefore not have consented
The government has also uploaded a how-to guide, encouraging potential victims to save the number for the Australian Federal Police (131 237) and explaining actions such as:
- How to secretly purchase a mobile phone
- How to avoid being taken overseas to be married
- How to use "safe words" to confirm their identity
- How to alter call logs and delete text messages
The legislation coincides with the ongoing police matter involving the marriage of a 12-year-old girl in Sydney.
The case, which returned to the Downing Centre District Court on Thursday, heard that the girl’s father had consented to his daughter’s marriage to a 26-year-old man.
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