Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Take the five-year-old girl who was just one of 400 children to receive assistance from the UK's Forced Marriage task force last year.
The head of the unit, Amy Cumming said 29 per cent of its cases involved minors, the youngest of whom was just five years old.
Sadly, according to the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organization, child marriages are not uncommon, with more than 100 cases identified in a year. Most are in their early teens, 11 or 12 years old.
But the latest shocker comes as the UK government considers whether to make forced marriage a crime.
"Our organisation is pro-criminalisation because we believe that it will empower victims to know that this is a crime, to stand up to their parents and to stand up for their own rights and it will enable them to come forward and seek help and say, 'What's happening to me is wrong,'" said Women's Rights Organization spokeswoman Fionnuala Murphy.
Although Forced Marriage Protection Orders were introduced in 2008 under the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007, last year the unit dealt with around 1,500 cases, with many more thought to go unreported.
Friends, victims, and police can bring about the court orders to protect an individual from forced marriage. However, the penalty for breaching the order only results in a civil offence, with a maximum two-year jail term.
"Forced marriage is little more than slavery," said PM David Cameron. "To force someone into marriage is completely wrong and I strongly believe this is a problem we should not shy away from addressing because of some cultural concerns."
The decision is expected later this year.
Is forced marriage tantamount to child abuse? Should it be criminalized?
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