Honour Based Abuse
Honour-Based Abuse (HBA) involves violence, threats, coercion, or abuse to defend family or community honour. Victims are often subject to strict codes of behaviour, with any perceived dishonour risking violence. Survivors share the complexities of living with the constant pressure of upholding honour, as illustrated by a tragic case study of a father carrying out an acid attack on his child's mother.
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Honour Based Abuse Honour Based Abuse Punita Bassi, Improvement and Problem Solving Officer Improvement |Avon and Somerset Police Police HQ, Portishead, BS20 8QJ Tel 01278 646160 | Ext 46160 Email Punita.Bassi@avonandsomerset.police.uk
Definition of HBA Definition of HBA an incident or crime involving violence, threats of violence, intimidation coercion or abuse (including psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse) which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of an individual, family and/ or community for alleged or perceived breaches of the family and/or community s code of behaviour NPCC definition
Codes of honour Codes of honour Victims are conditioned from a very young age as to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable behaviour Being too Western short hair, wearing too much makeup, clothes which expose your skin, use of drugs / alcohol - inappropriate relationships (including same-sex), defying parental authority all could be seen as shameful and dishonourable and lead to violence and abuse Within close knit families and communities, being seen as honourable and having a high social standing is paramount.
Survivors speak! Survivors speak! What is honour ? Consists of a learnt complex set of rules that a woman has to follow in order to protect her family s name and maintain family position . It s like the weather, you can t question it Honour (IZZAT) is there, it s always been there Honour is the biggest issue in my life With every bad word a reputation can die
Case study Case study Father sentenced to 16 years in prison for organising and carrying out a monstrous acid attack on his 3 year old child The mother said: His father had threatened to kill me and my children he said he had even been to an Imam and asked because his wife has left him is he allowed to kill me? By leaving her husband, the mother of the 3 year old was seen as shameful and this act of violence was carried out in revenge
Myth: Honour based abuse is a South Asian problem. problem. is a South Asian Fact: South Asian, Middle Eastern, African and, in some cases, ultra-orthodox Jewish communities are amongst some of those at risk of HBA & forced marriage. Some women s groups also report they have encountered HBA & forced marriages among European communities . 2 emerging high risk groups: ultra-orthodox Jewish & Romanian females Within 19 HBA / FM cases identified force-wide in April 2019 2 of the victims were White British females
Travellers Travellers Not many agencies are aware that forced marriage and honour-based violence are big issues in the Irish Travelling community. Women will experience a huge level of discrimination. Some cases dealt with can involve dowry related abuse, girls being pulled out of secondary school education and being escorted when they go out.. Their first experience of sex and intimacy in marriage is often in an unwanted (forced) marriage and there is a great deal of pressure to remain in the community. If a girl is not married by the age of 14 16 years it is considered shameful
Honour statistics Honour statistics 3000 reported cases per year (UK) On average, 12 people are murdered every year in the UK for transgressing someone s perverted notions of honour (tip of iceberg). 5000 women die in honour killings every year worldwide, the vast majority in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh (UN Population Fund) Suicide: South Asian females are 3 times more likely to self-harm/OD due to DV, HBV & forced marriage and family pressures at home
The One Chance Rule The One Chance Rule
Key points! Key points! Do not think it is any less serious if there has been no physical violence What is the victim s perception of risk? Believe them! Women hidden perpetrators of HBA (even though they were 1 time victims themselves) Raise the profile of HBA / Forced Marriage mainstream into schools, policies.. Understanding the victim Understanding the perpetrator Raise professional confidence to challenge attitudes & beliefs which tolerate harmful practices which take place in the name of honour
Domestic Abuse Stalking & harassment, Honour based abuse Did you know the DASH risk assessment tool asks specific questions to help identify HBA? Q20. Is there any other person that has threatened you or that you are afraid of? (If yes, consider extended family if honour based violence. Please specify who? Ask 10 additional HBA questions*) Victims of HBA / FM often suffer use / threats of violence and abuse from multiple perpetrators Screening questions: On a scale of 1 10 (10 being the highest), how important is Honour within your family / community? Family history Has anyone else escaped HBA/ disowned - identify if siblings have been married and whether these were arranged, forced, love marriage or first cousin?
GUIDELINES GUIDELINES those at risk from HBA those at risk from HBA First Steps: See the individual immediately in a secure and private place where the conversation cannot be overheard See the individual on their own - even if they attend with others Explain all options to them (similar to those available to domestic abuse victims) Arrange for an authorised interpreter (out of area) who speaks the dialect of the victim. Establish any preferences regarding the gender of the interpreter Contact, as soon as possible, Avon & Somerset Constabulary Subject Matter Expert (SME) for HBA and FM: DCI James Raphael and Punita Bassi or National specialist helplines for advice: Honour Network (Karma Nirvana): 0800 5999 247 (Monday to Friday, 9am 5pm) Government Forced Marriage Unit 0207 008 0151 or 0207 008 1500 (out of hours)
DO NOT DO NOT Send them away or let them leave without a safety plan and follow up arrangements Approach their friends/family or community unless she asks you to do so Approach community leaders for advice Share information with anyone without their express consent (unless there is a risk of immediate harm / or they lack the capacity to give consent /unable to give informed consent) Attempt to mediate with the family
Any questions? Any questions? Punita Bassi, Improvement and Problem Solving Officer Improvement |Avon and Somerset Police Police HQ, Portishead, BS20 8QJ Tel 01278 646160 | Ext 46160 Email Punita.Bassi@avonandsomerset.police.uk
