Forced Marriage: An Abuse of Human Rights - Islam Channel Sky 813

Interviewee Description

Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE is a senior partner at Dawson Cornwell solicitors in London. She is universally regarded as a leading pioneer in the field of domestic family law and has rescued hundreds of women and girls, sometimes as young as nine, from violent forced marriages and the risk of so-called "honour killings" in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Middle East and Africa. Miss Hutchinson was awarded an OBE for her work in 2002. She is also the chair of the UK branch of the charity 'Reunite International' - the Child Abduction Centre which is recognised as the leading UK charity specialising in international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders. She was awarded the inaugural UNICEF Child Rights Lawyer award in 1999. In 2010, she received the International Bar Assocation's Outstanding International Woman Lawyer Award. 

Interview Highlights:

In the exclusive interview for Islam Channel to be broadcast on Tuesday 6th March at 10pm, repeated on Wednesday 7th March at 3pm (and again on Thursday 8th March at 11pm in recognition of the UN International Women's Day), Anne-Marie Hutchinson underlines the importance of the ruling in one of her cases - that of KR - a 17yr old Sikh victim in which the presiding judge - Justice Singer ruled that a breach of human rights can exist even in respect of actions between a parent/legal guardian and their child. As Anne-Marie Hutchinson pointed out "up until that point in time, social services; the police; other agencies would very much see it [child abduction] as a domestic [issue]. The Justice Singer ruling she said confirmed that "You cannot force someone to enter into a lifetime commitment against their will". The broadcast of the programme will take place as the House of Lords embarks upon the final stages of a debate which looks likely to see half of all domestic violence victims disqualified from eligibility for legal aid. Anne-Marie Hutchinson explains how some 18 months ago she was faced with similar cuts to legal aid support for victims of abduction and honour killings - which would have seen the end of her practice. She explains how she was successful in judicially appealing this decision.