THE brutal murder of Shafilea Ahmed must serve as a wake-up call to help other girls at risk of forced marriage, says children’s charity Plan UK.
The 17-year-old’s parents were found guilty of her murder today, Friday, after she disappeared in 2003.
Chester Crown Court heard Shafilea drank bleach on a family holiday to Pakistan before she died, as she feared she was to be forced into marriage.
Marie Staunton, chief executive of Plan UK, said: “Shafilea’s tragic case has brought forced marriage and honour crime into the public domain where it must remain.
“Sadly there are millions of Shafileas in the UK and around the world – with one girl being forced or coerced into marriage every three seconds globally and 8,000 cases in the UK each year.
“We must do more to protect girls at risk and work with young people and their teachers so they can spot the signs and know who to contact for help.”
The summer holidays are the most dangerous time of the year for girls at risk of forced marriage – as they can be more easily taken abroad and wed against their will.
Marie added: “Forced marriage is a violation of human rights and puts girls at greater risk of being pulled out of school, domestic violence, early pregnancy and serious health conditions like HIV.
“A friend, or a teacher, might be the first port of call for a girl at risk of being married against her will.”
“Girls and boys, their teachers and schools, need to know what they can do to help.”
Plan UK is calling for the Government to take action in the UK and overseas to keep girls in school and end early and forced marriage.
Jasvinder Sanghera, from Karma Nirvana, an organisation which receives 600 calls a month to its UK helpline from girls like Shafilea, said she was delighted to hear the news of the guilty verdict.
"It has taken nine years to achieve justice for Shafilea," she said.
“The life experiences of Shafilea are sadly one of many young girls here in the UK who are beautiful young women full of promise, aspirations and dreams that are quashed by those families who put their misplaced concept of honour before their own child.
“A girl whose family are the perpetrators and a girl who is robbed of a life of independence. Let this sentence be a message to all that we will not tolerate these actions.
“My hope is that Shafilea's death will not be in vain, that many more will come forward and report and that professionals treat our experiences as being about child and public protection.
“I have no doubt that her death will not be the last and there remain thousands of Shafilea's out there we have yet to reach. May we as a society become part of the change and accept this abuse is on the increase in the UK and we all have a duty to root it out and approach it with zero tolerance, as we have done with domestic violence and other crimes.”
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