The multidisciplinary project ‘FORMA – Situation Analysis on Forced Marriage in Austria’ aimed to implement a comprehensive assessment of the phenomenon of forced marriages in Austria. Under the overall project management of the Caritas Vienna legal advice service programme, together with the victim protection organization Orient Express, the University of Vienna/Institute for Criminal Law and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR), an analysis of law and practice was carried out, based on international human rights principles on this serious form of violence and exploitation. The project was financed by the FFG KIRAS security research programme (with support by the Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Chancellery/Directorate General for Women and Equality)

The main challenges identified by the FORMA study include the need for stronger measures for effective victim protection (expansion of psychosocial services for victims, increased cooperation with child and youth welfare services, safe residence for affected asylum seekers and migrants and expansion of legal assistance services), criminal prosecution (including revision of the current criminal offense ‘forced marriage’) and prevention (minimum age for marriage at 18 years without exception, “marriage license” advisory programme, training and further education for professionals on forced marriage and kin-based violence, awareness-raising workshops in schools). The study is supplemented by a set of factsheets and an evidence-based list of indicators for the early detection of risk situations.

All documents are also available on the Caritas Vienna project website.

The full report is available here.