Razia Jogi warns of growing risk in forced marriage cases across the UK

Bradford solicitor Razia Jogia says official figures miss the true scale of forced marriages as victims vanish without ever reaching support

For over two decades, Bradford-based solicitor Razia Jogi has worked in the shadows of the UK legal system, fighting for victims of forced marriage. But today, she’s sounding the alarm — not just about the dangers, but about the silence.

Jogi, a director at Switalskis Solicitors, believes the number of forced marriages happening across the UK is significantly higher than official figures suggest. “Many victims never get a chance to speak,” she says. “Some disappear. Others are taken abroad before help can even be offered. We only ever see the tip of the iceberg.”

Her experience spans hundreds of emergency cases involving coercion, abuse, and cross-border threats. Often, the stakes are life or death. In some cases, girls have been married off overseas and held against their will for years before rescue efforts succeed. In others, the legal window for intervention closes before authorities are even alerted.

Forced marriage, distinct from arranged marriage, is illegal in the UK under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. But despite high-profile government campaigns and specialist support services, Jogi says the system still fails to prevent too many cases.

“A lot of the families we’re dealing with are highly secretive,” she explains. “The victims are isolated, watched, and terrified. By the time they make contact — if they ever do — they might be hours away from boarding a plane or already abroad.”

She describes how legal professionals often race against time to secure Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs) — civil injunctions designed to prevent a person from being forced into a marriage. But she admits these are only as effective as the reach of UK authorities.

“Some cases involve young people with dual nationality. Once they’re overseas, there’s very little we can do. We’ve had to coordinate with embassies, police, even Interpol.”

Bradford, one of the UK’s most ethnically diverse cities, has been a focal point in efforts to combat forced marriage. The city’s safeguarding teams and legal aid solicitors like Jogi have been central to both prevention and prosecution. But Jogi believes that more education, better funding, and community engagement are essential to breaking the cycle.

“We must change the conversation — in schools, in homes, and in communities,” she says. “Forced marriage is not a cultural issue. It’s an emergency safeguarding. And it’s still happening.”

Her message is direct: forced marriage victims exist in silence, hidden in plain sight — and without urgent action, many will remain invisible.