Brit kids as young as nine being forced into marriage

London, Sept 28 : Brit kids as young as nine are being forced to get married by their families, it has been revealed. The revelation comes after official figures revealed that the Government's Forced Marriage Unit rescued around 60 kids aged 15 or under in the past four years.

The cases have fuelled concerns that large numbers of children are disappearing from British schools to be forced into wedlock overseas.

Karma Nirvana, a charity that runs a national helpline on forced marriage and "honour"-based crimes, revealed that in one incident a nine-year-old girl from a Pakistani family in the east Midlands was taken into council care after her parents told her she was to wed.

Jasvinder Sanghera, director of Karma Nirvana, said that on average four children a month aged under 16 have contacted its helpline since it launched in April.

"The youngest child we have dealt with was nine years old. The girl told her teacher she was going to be forced to marry someone and initially she was not believed," Telegraph quoted her, as saying.

"Ultimately, with the help of the Forced Marriage Unit, she was dealt with through child protection procedures. She was assessed and, thankfully, taken into foster care," she added.

Sanghera has urged ministers to make sure primary school kids are taught about forced marriage and given advice on how to avoid becoming a victim.

ANI