Australian authorities are calling on schools to play a key role in protecting children as reports of forced marriage continue to climb.
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), led by the AFP, says reports jumped almost 30 per cent last financial year, rising from 91 in 2023–24 to 118 in 2024–25. While the increase does not necessarily reflect a surge in offending, experts say it highlights the importance of school communities in spotting potential victims.
AFP Commander Human Exploitation Helen Schneider said school staff, parents, and students are uniquely positioned to identify subtle warning signs that may otherwise go unnoticed.
“As Australian school communities prepare to ring in a new year, it’s an exciting time for everyone involved,” Commander Schneider said.
“But in among that excitement, it’s also timely to raise awareness of the role these communities have to play in tackling the very real risk of forced marriage. It’s a crime that people often assume doesn’t happen here in Australia. But it can, and it does, it could be happening in your neighbourhood and your street.”
Forced marriage occurs when a person is married without freely and fully consenting, whether through coercion, threat, deception, or because they are incapable of understanding the nature of the marriage due to age or mental capacity. In Australia, the legal marriage age is 18, although 16- and 17-year-olds may marry with court approval, and only to an adult.
Commander Schneider described forced marriage as historically under-reported in Australia, partly due to a lack of awareness of warning signs. She said educators are often in the best position to notice changes in behaviour that could indicate a child is at risk.
“Because educators interact with their students day in and day out, they build an authentic picture of their personalities,” she said.
“This uniquely positions them to identify changes in behaviour that may seem subtle to an outsider, but could indicate a school-aged child is at risk of forced marriage.”
Indicators can include limited independence, constant monitoring by family members, concerns about overseas travel, or sudden shifts in domestic circumstances. Other warning signs are withdrawal from friends, mental health struggles such as anxiety or depression, declining school performance, fears of family violence, or older siblings who left school early or married young.
The ACCCE works with communities through its Human Exploitation Community Officer (HECO) program, engaging with schools and at-risk areas to provide guidance about rights and support services.
“People may not report this crime due to lack of awareness of their rights, distrust of law enforcement, or fear of retribution, especially when the perpetrators are family members or from their own community,” Commander Schneider said.
While most reported victims are young women and girls, forced marriage can affect anyone, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or gender. “If you suspect you, or someone you know at school, is being forced, threatened, coerced, or deceived into marriage, please do not hesitate to seek help,” she said.
Forced marriage has been illegal in Australia since 2013, with laws strengthened in 2019 to protect children under 16. It covers both legally recognised marriages and cultural or religious ceremonies, whether conducted in Australia or abroad.
Support services include AFP’s human trafficking online reporting, the My Blue Sky initiative from Anti-Slavery Australia, and the national Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program (FMSSP), funded by the federal government. In emergencies, authorities urge people to call Triple Zero (000).
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