If you are in a forced marriage or are worried you are going to be forced to marry, please know that help is available and that you are not alone.
If you need help in an emergency, you can call Triple Zero (000) from any phone.
If there is a risk that you will be taken out of the country very soon, you can call the Australian Federal Police (131 237) for help.
Find out how more about your options by visiting our What help is available? page.
You can get help, no matter what situation you are in.
Don’t forget to make sure you are in a safe place using a safe telephone or computer so you can’t be followed or tracked. If you are worried about your safety, you could borrow a friend’s mobile phone or use a computer at a public library or community centre.
Be cyber safe
If you need to leave this website quickly, click on the “exit website” button on the top right hand corner of the page. This will take you straight to a blank Google search page but will not clear your browser history.
You can get help
If you are already overseas and have been forced to marry or think you are going to be forced to marry, you can get help.
What help is available now?
Counselling
The National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service provides free confidential telephone and online counselling.
Australian Federal Police
If you or someone you know is in, or at immediate risk of, a forced marriage, call the Australian Federal Police
Lawyers
For free and confidential legal advice, Anti-Slavery Australia provides legal advice, representation and assistance to people who are in, or at risk of, a forced marriage. You can also contact them if you are worried about someone.
How to stay safe
To stay safe or if you are thinking of leaving where you are living, please read this important safety information.
What is forced marriage?
A forced marriage is when a person gets married without freely and fully consenting, because they have been coerced threatened or deceived. This can include emotional pressure from their family, threats of or actual physical harm, or being tricked into marrying someone. This type of marriage has long-term negative impacts on people and families and is against the law in Australia.
For more information about the law in Australia click here
In March 2013 a law came into effect making forced marriage illegal in Australia. It is a crime to cause a person to enter into a forced marriage or to be a party to the forced marriage (unless you are the victim). The law is included in Division 270 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act 1995. The offences carry a maximum jail term of 7 years, or 9 years for an aggravated offence which includes forcing a person under the age of 18 to marry or forcing a person with a disability to marry. If someone helps to arrange for a child under the age of 18 to be taken outside Australia to be married, they could be jailed for up to 25 years.
What is an arranged marriage?
In some families, marriages are arranged. The couple are introduced to each other by a family member or another person. Each person can freely choose whether or not they want to go ahead with the marriage and their families listen to their choice without any consequences. Arranged marriages are legal in Australia for people over the age of 18 because the couple only get married if they both freely choose to marry each other.
Even if they first agreed to it, an arranged marriage can change to become a forced marriage if one or both of the people are threatened, tricked or pressured into saying yes to the marriage. The person may feel helpless to say no to the wedding. At that time, they are no longer giving full and free consent and the marriage becomes a forced marriage.
An example of an arrange marriage
A 19 year old person is introduced to a potential marriage partner by a family member, friend or other third party. The person can choose to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the marriage. If they decide to say ‘no’ to the marriage, it will simply not go ahead. If they decide to say ‘yes’ to the marriage with their full and free consent, the marriage will go ahead. Their full and free consent means that there were no threats, tricks or pressure on them to say yes to the marriage.
