Reports of forced marriages in Australia have risen by almost a third in a year, with many victims school-aged according to Federal Police data released today.
The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) said there were 118 complaints in 2024-25, up from 91 the previous year.
The ACCCE defines a forced marriage as when a person is married “without freely and fully consenting, either because they have been coerced, threatened or deceived, or because they are incapable of understanding the nature and effect of a marriage ceremony, for reasons including age or mental capacity”.
The legal age for marriage in Australia is 18. A child aged 16 to 18 can obtain permission from a court to marry but the person they marry must be an adult.
AFP Commander Human Exploitation Helen Schneider said schools played an important part in combatting forced marriages.
“It’s a crime people often assume doesn’t happen here in Australia,” she said. “But it can and it does – it could be happening in your neighbourhood and your street.
“And, with potential victims often being school-aged, this makes school communities – from educators and parents through to fellow students – a key partner in awareness.”
Commander Schneider said forced marriage had historically been an under-reported crime in Australia.
This was partly due to the lack of recognition of the warning signs.
By interacting with students daily, educators were in a good position to pick up on these signs which included children having some of the following behaviours:
- Very limited independence and privacy
- Are constantly monitored by a family member
- Have expressed concerns about planned family travel overseas
- Have flagged a sudden change in domestic circumstances
- Sudden withdrawal or isolation from their school friends
- Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, self-harm or panic attacks
- A sudden drop in effort or performance in schoolwork
- Expressing concerns of physical or psychological violence for not fulfilling family or community expectations
- Older siblings who left education early or married young
Commander Schneider said forced marriage was a complex crime because it often involved family members as victims and perpetrators.
As a result, young victims might be reluctant to involve police or not know where to seek help.
Forced marriage has been illegal in Australia since 2013, with the laws tightened in 2019 to extend protection to children under 16.
It can apply to legally-recognised marriages, cultural or religious ceremonies, marriages which occur in Australia or where a person is taken overseas to be married, and can include the conduct of those involved in facilitating the forced marriage.
Forced marriages are different from legally arranged marriages which are entered into with the full knowledge and consent of all parties.
Help is available through the following services:
If you suspect that you, or another person, has experienced, or is at risk of, forced marriage or human trafficking, call 131 AFP (237) or use the AFP’s human trafficking online information report.
If you have immediate concerns for your safety, the safety of another person, or there is an emergency, dial Triple Zero (000).
My Blue Sky, an initiative of ACCCE partner Anti-Slavery Australia, delivers specialised advice and support to individuals and communities affected by forced marriage.
Life Without Barrier’s Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program (FMSSP), funded by the Federal Government, assists victims of human trafficking, slavery and slavery-like practices.
