British victims of forced marriage ‘will no longer need Government loans to return home’, says Jeremy Hunt
The Times disclosed last week that Brits who could not afford these expenses were 'forced to get emergency loans and their passports were confiscated until repaying'
VICTIMS of forced marriage will no longer be told to take out Government loans to come back to Britain, Jeremy Hunt has said.
The Foreign Secretary announced the “immediate policy change” yesterday – just days after revelations that vulnerable women had been forced to borrow to pay for flights back home, food and shelter.
Mr Hunt insisted that while the Foreign Office had helped repatriate 82 individuals in 2016-2017, “only a small minority had made use of Foreign Office loans”.
But he said any outstanding loans would now be written off.
And he vowed that any future victims “will no longer be asked to take out a loan”.
The Times last week revealed British victims who cannot pay the hundreds of pounds of repatriation costs were being made to sign emergency loan agreements with the Foreign Office before boarding planes home.
Their passports were also confiscated until they repay.
If they failed to clear their debt within six months, officials added 10 per cent to their bill.
Jeremy Hunt’s u-turn came in a letter to Tom Tugendhat, the Tory chair of the cross-party Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
Mr Hunt said: “Whereas the Foreign Office rightly expects that adult Britons who receive consular assistance will, in general, pay for their own travel home.
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"Victims of forced marriage may have endured particular suffering.
“They will often have travelled abroad against their wishes, or under false pretences.”
He added: “Our treatment of vulnerable Britons abroad should always be guided by compassion. So I am glad to make this policy change.”
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