Forced marriage remains hidden in Australia as calls for action grow

Forced marriage is happening in Australia and often remains hidden, causing lasting harm to people’s freedom, safety and wellbeing. Organisations, advocates and people with lived experience are calling for urgent action to strengthen Australia’s response.

Walk Free supported partners at Women Deliver 2026 to bring community insight and lived experience into global discussions, strengthening how forced marriage is understood and addressed.

The Australian Federal Police received 118 reports of forced marriage in the 2024-25 financial year, which is an increase of 98 from the previous year.

A dedicated session led by Sexual Health Quarters and Boland Parwaz highlighted how forced marriage is often misunderstood, limiting prevention efforts, delaying support, and weakening policy responses.

6 practical actions have been identified to strengthen Australia’s response to child and forced marriage.

These draw on community consultations and were compiled by Boland Parwaz in consultation with victim-survivors, community representatives, and sector professionals.

People with lived experience of forced marriage bring essential insight into how systems respond in practice.

Ensuring victim-survivors are meaningfully included in government responses, including policy development and service design, leads to more effective and culturally informed approaches.

Australia’s response to forced marriage varies across states and territories, creating gaps in protection.

Developing a consistent legislative framework, including recognising forced marriage within family violence laws and introducing intervention orders for related cases, would strengthen responses nationwide.

Alignment across jurisdictions would improve coordination between services, law enforcement, and communities.

Education is central to prevention. Mandating school-based education on forced marriage and the right to bodily autonomy gives young people the knowledge to recognise risk and seek support early.

Community consultations show increased awareness can both shift harmful social norms and equip people with practical, actionable knowledge of their rights and trusted pathways to seek help early and safely.

Gaps in how consent is defined continue to limit effective responses to forced marriage.

Strengthening the definition of full, free, and informed consent in national marriage legislation, including explicitly excluding decisions made under coercion or fear of consequences, is critical.

Clearer definitions support earlier identification and improve accountability across systems.

Frontline professionals are often the first point of contact but may lack the tools to respond effectively.

Providing comprehensive training for police, healthcare workers, educators, and border officials is essential.

This includes understanding cultural nuances, recognising signs of coercion, and identifying risks such as exit trafficking.

Legal frameworks must continue to evolve to respond to emerging risks.

This includes criminalising first-cousin marriage through legal reform, drawing on international examples such as Norway’s 2023 changes.

Approaches must be carefully designed to protect people at risk while engaging communities and avoiding unintended harm.

Forced marriage is a form of modern slavery that disproportionately affects women and girls, driven by gender inequality and power imbalances.

Efforts to address it must focus on both prevention and protection, while tackling the structural factors allowing it to persist.

Insights shared at Women Deliver highlight the importance of collaboration between governments, communities, and survivor-led organisations.

Australia has an opportunity to strengthen its response by embedding lived experience, improving legal frameworks, and investing in education and frontline capability.

Taking these actions forward will not only improve national responses but also contribute to global efforts to end modern slavery.