The Forced Marriage Shared Objectives were developed by the Forced Marriage Sub-committee of the Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Working Group under the Standing Council of Attorneys‑General. The Standing Council of Attorneys-General endorsed the objectives at its meeting on 31 July 2026.
The objectives aim to guide a national response that provides comparable and effective protection and support to people in or at risk of forced marriage across Australia, acknowledging that jurisdictions have different policy and legislative frameworks. These objectives are designed to guide a holistic response encompassing and extending beyond civil protection and remedies to address forced marriage. They acknowledge the need for a collective response and focus on protection and support for people in, or at risk of, forced marriage, including children; prevention of unwanted travel; information on and access to support; and awareness and understanding of forced marriage.
Recognising that addressing forced marriage is complex and requires a response across both the Australian Government and state and territory jurisdictions, each jurisdiction will determine how to best achieve the objectives in their jurisdiction and complement measures in other jurisdictions. Some jurisdictions' existing policies, programs and legislative frameworks may already meet some or all of the objectives. Further, some objectives will be more relevant to certain levels of government, for example in Australia, state and territory governments are responsible for the care and protection of children.
Objective 1: Shared responsibility
Objective
Protecting people in, or at risk of, forced marriage is the shared responsibility of the Australian Government and state and territory governments.
Jurisdiction
All jurisdictions
Rationale
Forced marriage is a complex practice that intersects with both state and territory areas of responsibility (e.g. family and domestic violence, sexual violence and child protection issues) and Australian Government areas of responsibility (e.g. modern slavery, transnational crime and border control). The Australian Government and states and territories need to work collaboratively to protect and support those in or at risk of forced marriage.
Objective 2: Protection against forced marriage
Objective
People in, or at risk of, forced marriage are aware of and can seek the protections available.
Jurisdiction
All jurisdictions
Rationale
In Australia, jurisdictions have a range of protections to assist those who are in, or at risk of, forced marriage and respond to unsafe, coercive or violent behaviours, including threats to their personal safety or to others close to them.
It is important that:
- forced marriage is recognised as a type of harm from which a person in every jurisdiction and at any age can seek protection
- people in, or at risk, of forced marriage are aware of the options available to them to prevent and respond to this type of harm.
All jurisdictions are responsible for supporting access to, and awareness of, protections. Responsibility for ensuring effective avenues for civil protection sits with individual jurisdictions, and protections may be available through a combination of Australian Government and state and territory frameworks:
- the Australian Government provides protection to children under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth), and
- state and territory jurisdictions may provide protection to both adults and children through domestic violence, personal violence and child protection frameworks.
Objective 3: Protection and support for children
Objective
Relevant agencies in all Australian jurisdictions prioritise providing support and protection to children in, or at risk of, forced marriage.
Jurisdiction
All jurisdictions
Rationale
In Australia, children may be at risk of being forced into marriage by their parents or guardians. The consequences of a forced marriage of a child can be serious, including child sexual abuse. In cases where parents/guardians present the risk of forced marriage, children of all ages should be prioritised for support and intervention by appropriate agencies.
Objective 4: Prevention of unwanted travel
Objective
People at risk of being taken overseas for a forced marriage have strengthened options for protection and prevention from undertaking unwanted travel. Both people at risk and relevant frontline responders are also better equipped to recognise indicators of unwanted travel and aware of options to prevent it and seek protection.
Jurisdiction
All jurisdictions (primarily Australian Government)
Rationale
In Australia, people in, or at risk of, forced marriage can be at risk of being taken overseas for the purposes of a forced marriage. The AFP has responded to reports of people taken offshore for the purpose of forced marriage. Once a person is overseas, the AFP has limited intervention options.
Prevention starts with educating the community on forced marriage and the risks of exit trafficking, alongside preventative measures at exit points. Increasing awareness of protection and support options, strengthening frontline staff knowledge, and enhancing operational procedures at exit points would enable individuals at risk to seek help and receive effective assistance.
Objective 5: Prevention and support services for victims and survivors
Objective
People in, or at risk of, forced marriage have adequate resources to make informed and timely decisions on prevention and support options.
Jurisdiction
All jurisdictions
Rationale
People in, or at risk, of forced marriage may require access to support to recover, heal, reintegrate into community and rebuild their lives. People in, or at risk, of forced marriage may reach out to a range of support services and service providers.
To harness all opportunities to provide guidance and support to people in, or at risk, of forced marriage, information and resources should be shared with relevant sectors such as legal, health, education, disability, marriage celebrants, child protection, community organisations, migrant and refugee support services and frontline officers.
The Australian Government will support states and territories by sharing information resources that can be used by state and territory governments and facilitating linkages with community organisations and Australian Government-funded supports.
Objective 6: Awareness and understanding of forced marriage
Objective
The Australian community has improved awareness and understanding of the risks of forced marriage to discourage it.
Jurisdiction
All jurisdictions
Rationale
Education and awareness raising aims to decrease instances of forced marriage and protect those who may be at risk, improving alignment of community norms with Australia's legal framework.