176. The second development relates to polygamous marriages. With effect from 1 August 1988, a woman with a right of abode by virtue of a marriage which is polygamous may not exercise that right if another wife of the same husband has preceded her to the United Kingdom, or has been granted a certificate of entitlement granting right of abode, or has a prior application pending. This restriction has been imposed because polygamy is regarded as unacceptable in the United Kingdom. It places a polygamous husband in the same position as a monogamous one in that, once a man has been joined by a wife, he may not bring in another unless the first dies or the marriage is terminated. Before this reform, only about 120 wives of polygamous marriages were being admitted each year. Exit 177. There is no statute law and very little case law in the United Kingdom on the grant and refusal of passports. Refusal of passport facilities is confined in practice to certain clearly defined classes of individuals: (a) Minors whose journey is known to be contrary to a court order, to the wishes of a parent or other person or authority awarded custody or care and control, or to the provisions of section 25 (1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 (as amended by section 42 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963), or section 56 of the Adoption Act 1976; (b) Persons for whose arrest a warrant has been issued in the United Kingdom, or persons who are wanted by the United Kingdom police on suspicion of a serious crime; (c) In very rare instances, persons whose past or proposed activities are so demonstrably undesirable that the grant or continued possession of passport facilities would be contrary to the public interest; 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the immigration and passport policies of the United Kingdom, specifically regarding polygamous marriages and the refusal of passport facilities to certain individuals. This suggests that the category is related to human rights and migration, which are often linked to broader social and cultural issues.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, Immigration and migration