Honour-based abuse: What is it and what is being done?

On the 6th Day of Memory for the Victims of Honour Killings, charities say more education is needed to tackle so-called ‘honour’-based violence

Today, July 14, marks the sixth National Day of Memory for the Victims of Honour Killings.

So-called "honour-based" violence punishes those deemed to have brought shame on their family or community by not conforming to traditional expectations.

This "dishonour" may include having a boyfriend or girlfriend, rejecting a forced marriage, interfaith relationships, seeking a divorce and behaving or dressing in a way that is considered inappropriate.

Abuse can be physical, but it can also be emotional and coercive. At its most extreme, honour-based abuse includes forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and in some cases, even murder.

While women and girls are the most common victims of honour-based violence, victims of honour crimes are not determined by age, gender, sexuality or religion.

Shafilea Ahmed, murdered aged 17 in a so-called 'honour' killing
PA

The Day of Memory was set up to coincide annually with the birthday of Shafilea Ahmed, a 17-year-old who was murdered by her parents for becoming "too westernised".

Shafilea went missing from her home in Warrington, Cheshire, in 2003 and her body was found in the River Kent in Cumbria six months later.

Her parents, Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed, had denied her murder, but after another of their daughters who had witnessed the killing came forward, they were found guilty and sentenced to at least 25 years.

After the Ahmeds' sentencing in August 2012, Melissa Powner, a friend of Shafilea’s, said: “If there is one thing that we pray will come from this, it is that her beautiful face and tragic story will inspire others to seek help that makes them realise that this kind of vile treatment, no matter what culture or background they are from, is not acceptable, and there is a way out."

The parents of Shafilea Ahmed, arrested for her murder
PA

The charity Karma Nirvana is one of the main organisations that helps victims of honour-based abuse. As well as running a national helpline to support victims in immediate danger, they offer training to professionals, and regularly work with police forces, the NHS, social services, local government, and teachers.

“Many people are conditioned to believe that this way of life is normal”, says Natasha Rattu, executive director of Karma Nirvana.

“They think it’s normal to have their parents make every decision about their life, be it who they marry, what they wear, and how they socialise.

“The only way that we're going to get better at really, truly understanding the whole picture is by ensuring that practitioners on the frontline — be it teachers, social workers, police professionals, people that work in the community — open their eyes to the issue so that they can detect how often this is going on and how often they're coming across it.

“Because they are currently — but they just don't necessarily know that.”

Karma Nirvana aim to bust the most common myths surrounding honour-based abuse
Karma Nirvana

The Home Office estimates that between 5,000 to 8,000 people are at risk of being forced into marriage every year in the UK. But last year, Karma Nirvana’s helpline received just over 12,000 contacts from the UK alone, and the charity believes this is a huge underestimate of the actual scale of honour-based abuse.

“It’s a very, very, hidden issue”, says Rattu. “So many people won't be accessing the service for a range of reasons”.

In 2018-2019, the Crown Prosecution Services charged four people with offences related to forced marriage. Of these, three resulted in convictions.

The reasons for low referral or prosecution rates include victims' reluctance for the police question and prosecute family members; a lack of awareness that their that forced marriage is illegal; or fears of being made homeless or isolated by telling the truth.

Karma Nirvana educate on the difference between forced and arranged marriage
Karma Nirvana

There is no specific crime of "honour-based abuse". Instead, cases are prosecuted for the office committed, for example, domestic abuse, assault, GBH, rape or murder.

However, crimes are registered as "honour crimes" by the CPS, to give an indication of the level of honour-based abuse.

Jaswant Narwal, CPS lead for so-called honour based abuse, said “These are among the most complex cases that the CPS prosecutes: there are serious issues with underreporting, they often involve vulnerable victims, and happen within familial settings and tight-knit communities.

“We work closely with our police colleagues to secure justice for victims of these horrific crimes and have a joint protocol to make sure investigative teams are using best practice and victims feel supported and protected.

“As we mark this important national day of memory and remember the lives of victims of so-called honour killings, I want to reiterate that you will be supported and whenever the legal test is met, our prosecutors will bring charges at the most serious level they can, no matter how challenging the case.”

Currently, honour-based abuse can be recognised as a form of Domestic Abuse in the UK.

A “landmark” Domestic Abuse Bill is on its way to becoming law, creating the first statutory definition for domestic abuse.

MPs approved an amendment to the Domestic Abuse Bill on Monday, July 6
PA

However, charities such as Karma Nirvana are calling on the government to amend the definition of Domestic Abuse to better protect victims of honour-based abuse.

As it stands, the definition recognises immediate family as perpetrators, but not extended family or members of the community.

“The definition doesn't capture the range of potential perpetrators for honour-based abuse,” says Rattu. “Victims in these cases are likely to have multiple perpetrators, so we’re asking the government for a definition that includes the potential for multiple perpetrators in the family and wider community”.

As well as campaigning for this change in definition, Rattu says that, in order to have a real societal shift, there needs to be “a real big movement of the whole nation to understand these issues”.

“I think we’ve really enabled people to understand what forced marriage is, and why it’s different to arranged marriage”, says Rattu. (In an arranged marriage, both participants give their full consent and enter the marriage willingly even though family may have played a part in finding a partner).

“We haven’t yet fully enabled the public to understand honour-based abuse, which proceeds forced marriage - you can have honour-based abuse and no forced marriage, but you couldn't have forced marriage and no honour-based abuse. And people don't always get that dynamic”.

“Some people conflate this abuse with being a culturally sensitive issue, or that religion may be a justifiable reason for it. But people need to have the confidence and the tools to recognise abuse in whichever community it manifests. Culture, religion and tradition are never an excuse for abuse”.

Rattu says she wants victims to know they’re not alone, and in coming forward, they are brave: “There is support available. You can live a life on their own terms, through making your own choices, and you’re not confined or trapped to these abusive and hostile environments”.

If you think you are a victim of honour-based abuse or forced marriage, or know someone who is, you can call Karma Nirvana on 0800 5999 247

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