(Newsweek) Sweden has seen a rise in reports of child and forced marriages, according to a hotline established by the County Administrative Board in Östergötland County, located in southeastern Sweden.
At least 130 phone calls were made in 2018 to a support hotline that seeks to help children and young people who have been forced into marriage. This is a massive increase compared with the 101 calls that were made between 2014 and 2018, according to Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
“It is extremely important that all parties involved, including schools, social services, prosecutors, police and courts know what to do and have the knowledge and procedures to handle this type of situation. In addition, they must cooperate and, above all, stop crimes before they happen,” Negin Amirekhtiar, an expert at the National Competence Team against Honor-Related Violence and Repression, said.
