An immigration solicitor from the British city of Bradford has been exposed as a forced marriage fixer, having been caught telling an undercover reporter that there was “no harm” in marrying off girls as young as 15.
Asama Javed, a partner at Reiss Solicitors in the northern English city, was filmed by The Times giving the journalist, who was posing as a Pakistani father of two teenage daughters, advice on how to arrange a forced marriage for his youngest daughter without alerting the attention of authorities.
“If she is mentally or physically ready and she is 15 or 16 years old, then there is no harm in it," the mother-of-four said, in footage shown on the publication’s website.
Forced marriage is illegal in Britain and the minimum age of marriage in England and Wales is 18, although 16 and 17-year-olds can marry if they have parental consent.
Mrs Javed is a well-known figure in Bradford’s thriving Asian community and alongside her job as a solicitor she serves as a school governor and sits on Bradford council’s fostering panel.
The 44-year-old has also been a Labour Party councillor in Bradford, quitting her position two years ago to run for parliament for the far-left Respect Party.
Respect’s controversial leader George Galloway, an outspoken supporter of Iran, described Mrs Javed’s conversion away from Labour as a major coup, adding that she had “prestige and intellectual firepower”.
But Mrs Javed was also caught giving advice to the undercover reporter on how to get a visa for his 18-year-old daughter’s husband to come to the UK against her wishes.
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The reporter said he wanted his daughter, who had been sent to Pakistan for a forced marriage, to return to the UK with her husband as she was now pregnant.
Mrs Javed told him not to apply for a spousal visa for his son-in-law, a Pakistani citizen, because this would need his daughter’s permission.
She warned that if he knew his daughter was “not happy and would not agree to that”, a spousal visa application could risk the forced marriage being detected by Home Office officials and criminal charges could be enforced.
Instead, Mrs Javed told the reporter to wait until the baby was born and then his son-in-law could apply for entry as the baby’s father without his daughter’s knowledge or permission. She added that in the meantime he should “bribe” and “spoil” his daughter to get her on side.
The UK’s Home Office received 175 inquiries about victims trying to block spousal visas in 2017, according to figures from a freedom of information request obtained by The Times. Around half of the inquiries became full cases, which included requests from victims as well as third parties alerting officials to suspected forced marriages.
In response to the report, West Yorkshire Police said it would review the information to see if a crime had been committed.
The National contacted Mrs Javed's office for comment and is still awaiting a reply.
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ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
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'Top Gun: Maverick'
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
