A GWENT politician is backing moves to make forced marriages a criminal offence.

South Wales east assembly member Mohammad Asghar claims such acts are a breach of human rights laws which states: “marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.”

Speaking at an event to mark International Women’s Day at the assembly yesterday, Mr Asghar said he believed criminalising what is currently a civil offence would send a clear signal that it would not be tolerated in a civilised society.

Mr Asghar said government plans, which are currently being consulted on, would not only act as a deterrent but it would assist make it easier for police, local authorities and health service to recognise when an offence has been committed and to bring those guilty to justice.

He said: “I welcome this consultation and the Government's commitment to tackle this appalling abuse and to make forced marriage a thing of the past.”

Mr Asghar said the British Government helped over 1,700 people affected in 2010, but that did not reflect the true scale of the abuse as many cases go unreported.

He said research showed 86 per cent of victims were women and some often aged under 18, with some known to be as young as 12.

Mr Asghar said there were arguments against its criminalisation including that victims may be deterred from asking for help if they believe their families would face criminal prosecution.

But he said current laws introduced to protect victims in 2008 were not effective enough and a stronger line was needed to stamp it out.