Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Bill [HL]

I am sure that the Forced Marriage Unit would be more than happy to discuss it with my noble friend. I know that she has immense experience in this area. Work is currently going on in the drafting of potential guidance in consultation with practitioners. I am sure that the unit will be happy to indicate in writing for the benefit of noble Lords in this Committee who is involved in those discussions. The unit will not mind me making that offer on its behalf. It would be fantastic if my noble friend were able to spare the time to look at the draft guidance and give the unit the benefit of her opinion. We are seeking to give more weight to the work being undertaken by the Forced Marriage Unit in terms of guidance. It is something which I know that both the Foreign Office and the Home Office are keen to see being developed. Further, it will enable us to discuss with our colleagues across government, particularly in education but also elsewhere, how to ensure that schools are given proper guidance. Because it will have the weight of being statutory guidance, it will be dealt with properly in terms of the curriculum, which is aimed at young people. The victims mentioned that they talked to their friends about this matter. They also said—this was very important for my understanding of this issue—that they did not necessarily talk to friends from their own community. Many did not want to talk to members of their own community because they were not sure how they would react. It is important that young people understand how this issue affects different communities and are given good advice on what to do if their best friends are caught up in this situation. We need to get schools involved in this through the curriculum and the work that we are doing on human rights. Teachers often know that something is going on with the young people in their care and wish to help. It is important to give them advice and support.