New Enforced Marriage Law Forces Couple Apart
Rochelle Wallis is a nineteen year old Canadian citizen who married her British husband Adam in November 2008, two years after they first met and fell in love. Rochelle is about to be deported from the UK and has been told that she will not be able to come back to see Adam until she is 21.
She has become the first unintended victim of changes to UK immigration laws which were designed to protect young British Asian women from being subjected to forced marriages. The couple's dillema is an example of what happens when an encompassing government policy is applied to a specific issue. Usually, government policy starts out with good intentions, but it is the excecution that traps the most innocent of people.
Leading barrister, and part-time judge, Khatun Sapnara helped draft the Forced Marriages Act. This was an important human rights measure intended to prevent thousands of young British women from mainly Asian backgrounds being forced into marriages against their will. Primarily, women from Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Home Office has increased the minimum age for spousal visas to 21 to reduce the chance of "forced marriages".
The researchers asked victims of forced marriages - and the organisations which have campaigned on their behalf - whether they thought it would be a good idea. Only one in six said yes. Most thought that the risks would outweigh the benefits. They specifically highlighted the "human rights implications" of "the impact on marriages entered into... by mutual consent."
This is what happened to Adam and Rochelle. Adam and Rochelle do have one chance - they can move to any other European Union country, and they will be allowed to live together as man and wife and get work. The only place they cannot live together is Adam's home - Britain. Follow their story and get updates on BBC News on Dish tv.
By: Frank Bilotta
The only place they cannot live together is Adam's home - Britain. Follow their story and get updates on BBC News on Dish tv
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