A Childhood Lost: The Alarming Rise of Forced Marriages in Children Under 12 Dame Jasvinder Sanghera's words serve as a stark warning: when schools reopen this September, there will be children missing, some of whom may already be married.
Her assertion is based on hard data and personal experience – she escaped her own forced marriage at the age of 14.
Statistics from the UK's Forced Marriage Unit reveal an alarming trend: over five years, at least 100 children under 12 have been referred to the unit.