As part of Dementia Action Week, the Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) would like to raise awareness of Predatory Marriage in the context of diminished capacity. Joan Blass suffered from severe vascular dementia and was victim of Predatory Marriage. Her family have campaigned subsequently for the introduction of a new offence of Predatory Marriage among other measures.
If a person does not consent or lacks capacity to consent to marriage, that marriage must be viewed as a forced marriage whatever the reason for the marriage taking place. However, mental capacity is time and decision specific and this makes it difficult to seek convictions once a marriage has taken place. Only four people have ever been convicted under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2014 in its first five years of existence despite over a thousand reported cases in 2017 alone.
We all have a role to play in safeguarding adults at risk, and Joan’s story highlights the importance of all agencies accessing appropriate adult safeguarding and mental capacity training.
Lambeth VAWG and Safer Communities Team run monthly reflective spaces which provide an opportunity for professionals in Lambeth to come together to discuss VAWG issues, gain advice and share best practice. These are informal and unstructured sessions where any issue or query can be discussed, including forced marriage.
If you are concerned that a vulnerable adult is a victim of forced marriage or predatory marriage, you can raise a safeguarding concern using our online form (this is the quickest and most secure way to raise a concern and you can remain anonymous). If you are uncertain, you can also speak to If you're not sure what to do, or need some advice, there are people who can help. You can talk to your GP or nurse, a social worker, a police officer or your key worker. They will help you to respond to the concerns.
You can also contact the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) if you’re trying to stop a forced marriage or you need help leaving a marriage you’ve been forced into – remember that the Multi-agency statutory guidance for dealing with forced marriage highlights that a person who does not have capacity cannot consent to marriage.
