New proposals being discussed in the Lords tomorrow will mean British
nationals and others legally settled in Britain could have to ask the Home
Secretary for permission to Marry. The proposal is part of the Asylum and
Immigration (treatment of claimants etc.) Bill. The Parliamentary Joint Committee
on Human Rights today raised concerns that the measures are incompatible European
human rights law on the right to family life and could discriminate on grounds
of religion, belief and nationality. The proposal could also lead to financial
costs of up to £200 each for those intending to marry.
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London said:
"These restrictions will create more bureaucracy, cost and general chaos
for Londoners and for registrars. It will undermine the fundamental human
right to choose who you marry."
Keith Vaz MP said:
"It is a fundamental human right to choose who and when to marry. This
measure will undermine this right. Far from deterring people by denying them
their civil liberties, we should be celebrating diversity and welcoming migrants."
Rev. Arlington Trotman, Secretary, Churches Commission for
Racial Justice said:
"The restrictions being imposed by the Home Office on people wishing
to marry appear simply to be unjust and smacks of a knee-jerk reaction by
creating further deterrents for people wishing to seek asylum in the UK. Indeed,
the proposals to extend these rules to people already resident here can be
seen as an infringement of their fundamental rights to marriage and family
life. Whilst I do not condone any form of misuse or abuse of the institution
of marriage or its practice – we regard marriage as a serious life-long
commitment of love and partnership between two people - this development in
immigration and asylum policy flies in the face of justice, liberty and human
rights."
Lee Jasper, Secretary of National Assembly Against Racism
said:
"This proposal is the latest in a long line of assaults from the Home
Secretary on human rights, thinly disguised with the cover of asylum and immigration
hysteria. These proposals have huge implications for the black communities,
including cultural traditions such as arranged marriage. The proposal enshrines
racial prejudice in the process of marriage, effectively turning marriage
registrars into the immigration service. We call on MPs and the House of Lords
to reject these proposals"
Habib Rahman, Chief Executive of Joint Council for the Welfare
of Immigrants, said:
"The Home Secretary is effectively making himself the marriage registrar
of last resort. It is appalling that some people could now have to ask the
Home Secretary for permission to marry and have a family life in the UK –
and pay extra for it. Extremely strict immigration controls already exist
to curtail any abuse of marriage formalities. This infringement of the human
right to family life is not justified."
For more information contact National Assembly Against Racism on 020 7247
9907 or 07790 022 472