Stick to nicking criminals, Mr Afzal- and leave Travellers alone. By Mike Doherty

Mike Doherty investigates the recent claims by Chief Crown Prosecutor; Mr Nazir Azfhal, that there are “massive issues of forced marriage in the Traveller community”

Picture: Traveller women at the Irish Traveller Movement in Britain's recent annual conference. Picture by Mike Doherty

The UK’s Irish Travellers are often derided for being a drain on society amongst other things. However, even their many detractors must admit that Travellers do play at least one vital social role; that of a useful bogey-man for any non-Traveller who needs to whip up a bit of populist political capital. One particularly ripe example – that of Travellers and forced marriage - was finally exposed to the cold light of day at the recent Irish Traveller Movement in Britain’s annual conference.

The story starts back in May earlier this year, when Mr Nazir Afzal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North-West and the guy who banged up the Rochdale pedophile gang, told the Independent and the Daily Mail that; “I have become aware of massive issues of forced marriage in the Traveller community. It is widespread." This was news to at the ITMB, but just to make sure they held a meeting with their community advisory group and contacted other Gypsy/Traveller organizations. Some arranged marriages, a lot of young marriages – but no forced marriages.

Baffled

Father Gerard Barry, a prison chaplain for Irish Travellers, was equally baffled by Mr Azfhal’s claims. Speaking at the ITMB conference, he said that he had never come across any evidence of anything but the sometimes over-enthusiastic consent of the prospective bride and bride-groom in the twenty years he has been conducting Traveller marriages. Katharine Quarmby, an investigative journalist who has written articles on forced marriage and is now researching a book on Gypsies and Travellers, was also baffled by the claims. She contacted an expert in forced marriage and a Scottish Traveller who has written several books on the different Traveller communities. She received similar feedback to the ITMB; arranged marriages with the consent of bride and bride-groom, young marriages and, apart from one isolated case; no forced marriages. “This doesn’t mean that ‘forced marriage’ doesn’t ever happen, but it would be foolish to extrapolate from that it is widespread,” she says.

“Google it”

When the ITMB approached Nazir Afzal asking for his evidence, he replied that he had seen a presentation on forced marriage by a domestic violence worker who works in Traveller communities. Nazir Afzal also revealed another research method; “A quick search of the internet via my search engine will bring up other articles and case studies in Traveller communities,” he said. In other words he googled it.

Mr Azfhals evidence proved to be pretty shaky. A Google just brought up statements by Mr Azfhal himself and the statements of the domestic violence worker who had attended a conference on forced marriage – along with Mr Azfhal – in Liverpool. The final shred of credibility behind Mr Azfhal’s claims were soon discredited further when the domestic violence worker cited by Nazir Afzal publically refuted his claims at the ITMB conference. When pressed by the many Irish Traveller women present at the ITMB conference during a workshop on women’s issues at the conference, the domestic violence worker claimed to have been misrepresented and misquoted and was not happy with how her presentation at the Liverpool conference had been used by Mr Azfhal.

Serious implications for the future criminalization of Travellers

All this would be farcical but for the fact that it creates yet another stick to beat Travellers with. It also has serious implications for the future criminalization of Travellers. Just before Nazir Afzal’s remarks, the governments Forced Marriage Unit offered funding to NGO’s who were “tackling forced marriage in the Traveller community”. Soon after, David Cameron announced that he was going to stamp out forced marriages by strengthening the law.” To their credit, the Forced Marriage Unit also came to the ITMB conference and was at the workshop on women’s issues and has now taken their post down from their website without allocating any funding.

Why Mr Afzhal chose to make those remarks remains a mystery. However, a report by the Children’s Commissioner, published recently, refused to ascribe the practice of grooming of young girls by gangs to the Asian community. An ethnic breakdown revealed that both perpetrators and victims came from almost all the ethnicities currently living in multi-cultural UK, including white British. Violence against women – it seems – is cross-cultural and cannot be ascribed to one community or ethnicity. Mr Azfhal, who seems to be courting publicity, appeared in the press again to comment on this report. This time round, he did not mention Travellers at all.