Forced marriage can also coincide with honour based abuse, there is specific legislation in Scottish law governing this which is known as Forced Marriage (protection and jurisdiction) Scotland Act 2011 along with section 122 of The anti social behaviour crime and policing Act 2014 highlighting it is a criminal offence to force someone into marriage.

The Scottish Government have developed a policy knows as “Equally Safe” which has been updated this year. Its main aim is to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls. Strongly highlighting Scotlands commitment to keep girls safe and protected (Scottish Government 2024). The policy strides to recognise honour based abuse highlighting the need for a statutory definition to be considered.

The above diagram depicts some, not all, warning signs presented by women and girls experiencing ‘so called honour-based abuse’ in relation to Forced Marriage according to the Scottish Government (2024).

ABAS, Z. 2021. Poem [Instagram] 14 July. Available at: https://www.Instagram.com/shaktiwomensaid [Accessed 29 November 2024].

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BAIANSTOVU, R. et al. 2024. Honor Based Violence. Available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14680173231225421 [Accessed 4 November 2024].

BBC SCOTLAND. 2011. New forced marriage law comes into effect in Scotland. Available from: New forced marriage law comes into effect in Scotland - BBC News[Accessed 13 November 2024].

Birmingham Children’s Trust, Safety planning where there is domestic abuse, 2023. [Online]. Available from: safety-planning-domestic-abuse-january-2023.docx [Accessed 12^th November 2024].

CARRUTHERS, J. and BELTON, F. 2024. Combatting Forced Marriage: Strengthening Protection in Scots Law. University of Glasgow. Available from: combatting_forced_marriage_jul_24.pdf [Accessed 13 November 2024].

Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018. a.s.p. 5.

Domestic Abuse, Stalking Harassment and Honour Based Violence (DASH 2009-2024) Risk Identification and

Assessment Management Model. [Online]. Available from: Microsoft Word - DASH 2009 2024 [Accessed 4^th November 2024].

DORJEE, T., BAIG, N. & TING-TOOMEY, S. 2013. A Social-Ecological Perspective on Understanding "Honor Killing": An Intercultural Moral Dilemma. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research 42(1),pp.1-21. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2012.723024 [accessed 28 October 2024].

DYER, E. 2015. Speak to survivors of "honour". Available from: https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Britains-Forgotten-Women.pdf [Accessed 4 November 2024].

Ensuring the voice of the child is heard, and child’s best interests are considered in Domestic Abuse cases, Safe and Together Institute, 2023. [Online]. Available from: VoiceoftheChild.pdf [Accessed 4^th November 2024].

EQUALLY SAFE DELIVERY PLAN, 2024. Scottish Government. [Online]. Available from: https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2024/08/equally-safe-delivery-plan/documents/equally-safe-delivery-plan-summer-2024-spring-2026/equally-safe-delivery-plan-summer-2024-spring-2026/govscot%3Adocument/equally-safe-delivery-plan-summer-2024-spring-2026.pdf [Accessed 22nd October 2024].

Faith and Community leaders unite to condemn FGM. 2014. [Online]. Available from: https://youtu.be/S_jS2BWOtqI [Accessed 19 November 2024].

Female Genital Mutilation (Protection and Guidance) (Scotland) Act 2020. a.s.p. 9.

Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011. a.s.p. 15.

GILL, A. (2008). Crimes of Honour’ and Violence against Women in the UK, International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice 32(2) PP 243-263, doi: 10.1080/01924036.2008.9678788.

GILL, A. (2008). MPS "could have done more" to prevent the murder of Banaz Mahmod, safe; The domestic abuse quarterly, Summer, PP 24-25.

INTEGRATE UK TV (2017) ONUR. YouTube video. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o17Kq4sPpW8&t=14s [Accessed 17 November 2024].

McLAUGHLIN, E. et al. 2023. Honour-Based Domestic Abuse: Evidence and pathways to strengthen protection for victims. Available from: https://www.scottishinsight.ac.uk/Portals/80/SUIIProgrammes/Honour-Based%20Abuse/SUII%20Honour-Based%20Abuse%20Final%20Report%20-%20Apr%202023.pdf [Accessed 8 November 2024].

McLaughlin, E. et al., 2024. Honour Based Abuse in Scotland: Evidence and pathways to strengthen protection for victims, Summary Report.

MEKONEN, Y.M., 2021. Transitional Justice through ' Reconciliation Commission Post-2018 Ethiopia: A Critical Examination on Its Viability. Hawassa UJL, 5, p.145.

MILES, C. and Fox, C., 2023. Collaboration, risk and ‘just ' outcomes: challenges and opportunities in policing HBA. Policing and Society, 33(5), pp.501-517.

MONCKTON-SMITH, J., SIDDIQUI, H., HAILE, S. and SANDHAM, A., 2022. Building a temporal sequence for developing prevention strategies, risk assessment, and perpetrator interventions in domestic abuse-related suicide, honour killing, and intimate partner homicide.

OLSSON., H. and BERGMAN, A. 2021. Fromo silence to recognition: Swedish social services and the handling of honor-based violence. European Journal of Social Work, 25(2), 198-209. Available at: Https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2021.1882395 Accessed on 20 November 2024.

OLSSON, H. & BERGMAN, A., 2022. From silence to recognition: Swedish social services and the handling of honour-based violence. European Journal of Social Work, 25(2), pp.198-209. Available at: Https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2021.1882395 Accessed on 20 November 2024.

Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Act 2005. a.s.p. 8.

PIIPPO, S., NOTKO, M., HUSSO, M. and CARTER ANAND, J., 2022. Framing social work discourses of violence against women. Insights from Finland and India. Affilia, 7(3), pp.487-504.

ROBERTS, K.A., CAMPBELL, G. & LLOYD, G., 2013. Honour-Based Violence: Policing and Prevention. 1st ed. New York: Routledge. Available at: https://doiorg.ezproxy.rgu.ac.uk/10.1201/b16114.

SAFELIVES. Domestic Abuse Response. Available from: https://safelives.org.uk/about-domestic-abuse/domestic-abuse-response-in-the-uk/ [Accessed 4 November 2024].

SAFELIVES, 2014. Spotlight on Honour-Based Abuse and Forced Marriage. [online] Available at: https://safelives.org.uk/spotlight-honour-based-abuse

SAFER SOONER. Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (Marac) Overview March 2024. Available from: SafeLives-Marac-Overview-June-2024.pdf [Accessed 13 November 2024].

The FMPOs include under Section 2(1) of the act: various prohibitions (i.e. stopping anyone from taking the victim abroad), restrictions (limiting or enforcing no contact with those working towards forcing a marriage or putting the victim at risk), or requirements (removal of passports or documentation to reduce the risk of the victim being taken abroad) (Scottish Government, 2011).

Section 2(2) of the act states an order can be made in relation to the conduct of a person trying to manipulate a protected person into marriage within or outwith Scotland.

Section 2(C) of the act, includes others with any involvement in the collusion of a forced marriage being subject to the FMPO.

The report states this practise is expedentially more prevalent than predicted and also explains it is not only the family of girls carrying out this procedure but medical professionals too (Bing Videos, 2014).

Coercive control

Trapped by their family and husband

Sacrificing their happiness for others

Tortured

Raped

Forced to have children

Forced to marry older men

Self-harm

Life is monitored – Family and husband decide who their friends are

Forced to rely on family

Physical abuse

Verbal abuse

Brain washed

Forced to stay in the relationship to protect their children

Women are cheated on by their husband

Gaslight

Honour-Based Abuse is most commonly associated with cultures that place a strong value on family reputation and control over individual choices, and is most common within communities from South Asia, the Middle East, North and East Africa. Reports of such incidences of these crimes come from Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Orthodox Jewish and occasionally Traveller communities (Scottish Government 2014).

According to Scottish Government (2014) crimes are mainly committed against women and girls and include physical abuse, sexual violence, abduction, forced marriage, imprisonment, and murder where the person is being punished by their family or community. Family members believe the values and reputation of the family has been undermined and have not been ‘properly controlled’ bringing shame to the family.

A report carried out by the parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe (2003) found that most cases of Honour-Based crimes within Europe have been amongst Muslim or Migrant Muslim communities.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan is considered one of the most dangerous and unsafe country in the world for women, because of the increasing rate of crimes against women including honour killings and honour related violence (Honour Killing in Pakistan: An Islamic Perspective 2012).

According to Karma Nirvana (2024) Honour Based Abuse (HBA) is not a cultural tradition or considered a religious practice. The charity established in 1993 has been dedicated to challenging the belief that HBA is associated with certain cultures or religions. The charity continue to remain concerned on the little data available and report that the true scale of HBA is unknown. It remains an invisible problem.

As there appears to be conflicting and no defined statutory definition for Honour Based Abuse, Karma Nirvana (2024) noted in their legal briefing the contrasting definitions between the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Metropolitan Police. The term ‘Honour’ is repeated with no attempt to define what it is. The charity also argue ‘complexity’ should not be an argument for confusing and conflicting definitions across statue, institutions and organisations with safeguarding duties (Karma Nirvana 2024).

Shakti helps BME women, their children and young people, experiencing and / or fleeing domestic abuse from a partner, ex-partner, and/ or other members of the household. We provide a safe temporary accommodation and a supportive environment for you and your child / children to stay. We also offer follow-up support for women and children who have left the refuge and any other temporary accommodation.

Shakti works closely with the Scottish Government, Police Scotland, NHS Scotland, and other statutory and voluntary services. We also provide training and consultancy for agencies working with BME women, children, and young people.

At Shakti, cases are recorded based on the nature of the support required, and we do not limit our statistics to cases where prosecution has occurred. We track a wide range of cases, including those where women and families may not have pursued legal action but still require substantial emotional and practical support.

Our statistics may differ from national or official data as they reflect the specific needs of minority ethnic women, children, and young people who experience domestic abuse, including honour-based abuse. These figures often highlight barriers to reporting and accessing justice, as many of our clients may be reluctant to involve law enforcement due to cultural, language, or immigration status issues.

The Asian population nearly doubled in size between 2001 and 2011, rising by 69,000.

2.7% of Scotland's population identified as Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British. This was about 141,000 people, split between:

· 50,000 people who identified as 'Pakistani'

· 34,000 people who identified as 'Chinese'

· 33,000 people who identified as 'Indian'

· 21,000 people who identified as 'Other'

· 4,000 people who identified as 'Bangladeshi'

African, Caribbean or Black ethnicities

African Caribbean or Black groups made up 0.7% of Scotland’s population.

This population had grown by 28,000 people since 2001. More than 36,000 people identified as African, Caribbean or Black, split between:

· about 30,000 people who identified as 'African'

· just under 7,000 people who identified as 'Caribbean or Black'

Mixed or other ethnic groups

Under 1% of Scotland's population identified as having a Mixed, Multiple or Other ethnicity.

This was 34,000 people, split between:

· 20,000 people who identified as 'Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups'

· 9,000 people who identified as 'Other: Arab'

· 5,000 people who identified as 'Other: Other ethnicity'

Femicide is generally defined as the murder of women because they are women. And so, thinking about femicide, we cannot forget those women who have been victims of honour killings and honour-based abuse.

It got me thinking about how nuanced this form of abuse is and how many young people might not know what honour-based abuse looks like. Even though I specialise in ending violence against women issues through my work at Amina-the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre, that doesn’t mean I have all the answers and I am by no means an expert. But the more exposure and experience I’ve gained, only highlights to me how important it is we talk about honour-based abuse.

Honour-based abuse results from a woman being perceived as bringing shame or dishonour to her family based on her acting against, or breaking a code of behaviour, that women in her household or community must follow. As a result, she may be punished. It differs quite a lot from other forms of abuse like domestic abuse, because it can involve multiple perpetrators. For example, the punishment might be discussed by multiple people, including immediate and extended family members and even community members. Honour-based abuse is a way to control and punish women for their choices, to restrain and restrict them from living their lives, to exercise power and control over them.

It’s important that we don’t make any assumptions about honour-based abuse, nor that we stereotype any communities or ethnicities. It occurs across a wide range of ethnic groups and genders. However, what we do know is that it disproportionately impacts women, and particularly women from BME communities.

The legislations and bills referred to are:

• Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018

• Human Rights Act (1988)

• Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004

• Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005

• Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Act 2005 made it a criminal offence to have female genital mutilation carried out in Scotland or abroad, and increased the maximum penalty from five to 14 years imprisonment

• Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007

• Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 brought Scots law on sexual offences into a single act, and provided a statutory definition of consent

• Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2011

• Children's Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011

• Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 gave courts the power to issue protection orders to those at risk of forced marriage

• Children and Young People Scotland Act 2014

• Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 improved the information and support available to victims and witnesses dealing with Scotland's justice system

• Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 is UK-wide legislation which made forced marriage a specific criminal offence

• Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015

(Scottish Government, 2024).

Key findings

Honour-based violence (HBV) interventions:

• Currently there is limited available evidence (e.g. robust evaluations) on specific honour-based violence (HBV) interventions

• multi-agency working was understood as overall effective in both raising awareness of and responding to HBV (Gillespie et al., 2011)

Honour-based violence (HBV) interventions

Classification: Inconclusive

Background

SafeLives (no date:15) use the following definition of honour-based violence (HBV):

normally a collective and planned crime or incident, mainly perpetrated against women and girls, by their family or their community, who act to defend their perceived honour, because they believe that the victim(s) have done something to bring shame to the family or the community. It can take many forms including: ‘honour’ killing, forced marriage, rape, forced suicide, acid attacks, mutilation, imprisonment, beatings, death threats, blackmail, emotional abuse, surveillance, harassment, forced abortion and abduction.

Equally Safe defines HBV as: “dowry related violence, female genital mutilation, forced and child marriages, and ‘honour’ crimes”. HBV is understood as distinct from domestic abuse^[116], defined instead in relation to the “motive of the abuse (to defend perceived ‘honour’) and unlike domestic abuse the perpetrators of HBV can involve community members who may be extended family or strangers to the victim” (SafeLives, no date: 17). There may be multiple perpetrators (SafeLives DASH Risk Checklist Guidance, no date: 2).

One of the central barriers is a lack of reporting of HBV to the police, as Gillespie et al. (2011) note:

• honour based violence is on the whole under-reported

• data and statistics may not be truly representative of the current levels of HBV

• The lack of official statistics is detrimental to the possibilities of gaining an operational understanding of such a sensitive topic

• Lack of data raises questions about whether without fully appreciating the extent of the issue, it is possible to effectively raise awareness amongst communities and through education

Research conducted by Idriss (2018:335) on honour-based violence interventions in the UK identifies the following barriers to successful interventions:

• Lack of communication and availability of interpreters in accessing services

• Feeling ‘uncomfortable’ with public agency responses

• Difficulties disclosing abuse for women informed by cultural expectations

Moreover, in Hester et al.’s (2015:39) participatory qualitative study they found that:

participants wanted police to understand better the dynamics of ‘honour’, in particular how it exerts psychological and physical control over the victim, how the wider family and community may be implicated in the abuse, the multiple barriers to reporting, and the high level of risk facing victims who decide to approach the police.

Likewise, SafeLives (no date:36) Your Choice report highlights that: “even when the community are not directly abusive, they may be complicit in or condoning of the abuse”.

Honour Based Abuse is not a statutory crime in Scotland due to the complexities of the involvement of others (family, friends, community) as the abuse towards ethnic minority women and girls is seen as a simulator of other offences including forced marriage, violence, sexual abuse, female genital mutilation, financial abuse, social isolation, blackmail, kidnapping and can involve forced suicide and murder (Scottish Government, 2024), meaning this legislation is unable to provide direct protection to those most in need (Scottish Insight, 2023).

Due to FGM being carried out frequently on girls, the Scottish Women's Rights Centre (2020) state this act is classed as child abuse and furthermore explains NOT ONE CRIMINAL CHARGE has been made against anyone in the last 34 years of FGM being a criminal act.

The publication recorded 2,755 HBA-related offences reported by the police in England and Wales, which is down from 3,008 recorded to the year ending March 2023. Although HBA offences reported were down overall the number of FGM offences increased slightly to 111 this year (vs 86 in 2022/23), as were forced marriage offences, which increased to 201 this year (vs 173 in 2022/23).

Responding to an initial review of the annual data, Savera UK CEO and founder, Afrah Qassim, said: “The data published by the Home Office today on reports for HBA offences in 2023/24 is deeply concerning. 

“What is being reported by police contradicts what we as a grassroots specialist service are seeing on the ground – increasing referrals for HBA and harmful practices such as FGM and forced marriage.

“In the same time period as this report, Savera UK saw a 36 per cent increase in referrals into our service. This lack of alignment between the patterns we are observing suggests a number of underlying challenges.

In the UK, interventions generally focus on protecting victims, increasing awareness, and improving multi-agency collaboration. Organisations like Karma Nirvana and SafeLives offer specialised support and training, aiming to identify and manage HBA cases more effectively. However, research indicates gaps in awareness and understanding among frontline professionals, particularly regarding cultural sensitivities and the unique risks posed by HBA, which can complicate interventions. Enhanced training has been effective in some areas but remains inconsistent across regions​.

Scotland recently launched its Equally Safe Delivery Plan, which introduces a specific approach to tackle HBA and includes discussions on adopting a statutory definition. This plan emphasises prevention and culturally competent support for victims, marking a significant step forward. Research by Police Scotland and SafeLives also highlights the effectiveness of Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs), which coordinate responses for high-risk cases. However, a 2024 report showed that further work is needed to address cultural and systemic barriers that can discourage victims from seeking help, particularly among minority communities​

(Safelives.org.uk)

The report stated participants felt the act played an important role in preventing forced marriage and reports no prosecutions have been conducted (Carruthers and Belton, 2024).

Tools like The Domestic Abuse Stalking Harassment and Honour Based Violence (DASH) is a crucial component of a risk-led response to Domestic abuse (Miles and Fox 2022). This tool consists of a 27 question checklist used to assist police officers and domestic abuse workers assign a risk classification of ‘standard’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’. Some challenges and criticisms of this tool found variations in the approaches, in terms of who completes the form and grades the risk. According to Robinson et al (2016) and Turner et al (2019) professional judgement plays a huge role in the assessment and how the assessment is processed and actioned. They argue many professionals lack the appropriate training or knowledge resulting in inaccurate risk classification and a lack of effective safeguarding.

There are many complexities and challenges when accessing HBA. Responses from the police and other agencies tend to be reactive rather than preventative. Gaps in legislation also contribute to the lack of appropriate responses to HBA (Robinson et al 2016). Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC 2015) concluded that ‘the police service has some way to go before the public can be fully confident they HBA is properly understood by the police and other agencies (HMIC 2015, pg.8). A key challenge identified in the HMIC (2015) report in responding effectively to HBA is the often complex nature of HBA. Honour-Based Abuse frequently involves more than one perpetrator, from the victim’s immediate family, extended family and community (Miles and Fox 2022).

Staff may be under a duty to breach confidentiality to protect someone who might be at risk due to their self-harming behaviour. The law recognises that in certain circumstances the duty of staff to the individual or third person is greater than the duty to respect confidentiality. Staff have a duty to act to protect people so that if a child or adult is at serious risk due to their self-harming behaviour then staff should notify the relevant authorities.

• There is usually a cultural and/or familial context of Honour Based Abuse, however no practice is justified under the guise of tradition, culture or honour. By not identifying HBA, individuals may not be properly supported.

• Victims may be at extreme risk if their disclosures are not handled with care. By identifying HBA, you can ensure their safety and confidentiality are prioritised.

• Victims may be reluctant to disclose their experiences. By recognising HBA, professionals know to listen non-judgmentally and create a safe space for them to share their stories.

• Social justice and equality

• Respecting diversity

• Human rights and dignity

• Self-determination

• Partnership, participation and co-production

• Honesty and integrity (SSSC 2019)

Currently there is limited available evidence (e.g. robust evaluations) on specific honour-based violence (HBV) interventions. Consequently these interventions have been classified as inconclusive due to insufficient evidence.

For context, according to Gill et al. (2017:2):

while HBV/A and FM^[117] share features in common with domestic abuse and gender-based violence more broadly, our victim engagement project highlights the critical and distinctive role that perceived ‘honour’ plays in shaping the context of this abuse.

There are cultural norms that result in this being seen as a ‘family problem’, and that “speaking to the authorities was in itself considered a violation of community norms of honour”.

Gillespie et al.’s, (2011:7) review on honour based violence and the multi-agency approach in Nottingham found the following:

• there were significant issues concerning the recording of HBV at a local level. It was found that HBV is often not recorded separately from other domestic abuse

• there was an effective use of Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences^[118] (MARACs) (monitoring high risk cases of domestic abuse) with cases of HBV^[119]

• many practitioners had received some basic training on domestic abuse (DA) and HBV but most felt more was needed, particularly in relation to HBV

• it was felt that greater awareness needs to be raised amongst communities, for example, through the education of young people in schools and colleges

• the research highlighted the importance of partnership working in order to continue to provide support for survivors of HBV

• there were levels of uncertainty about how the UK Government restructuring of local authority spending could affect frontline services

The qualitative findings from this primary research are useful in understanding some of the key challenges and effective approaches that could be used for HBV interventions to both prevent and reduce HBV.

According to Gillespie et al. (2011:44): “Most practitioners felt that more training on HBV and its effects on family members and local communities was needed, both within their own organisations and in partner agencies”. Responding to this context, multi-agency working was understood as overall effective in both raising awareness of and responding to HBV (Gillespie et al., 2011).

Potential facilitators

Gill et al.’s (2017) review of services for victims-survivors of HBV and FM identifies the following factors that contributed to supportive practitioner responses: “rapid response; listening; establishing trust; being accessible and available; offering clear guidance to victims as well as to perpetrators and extended families; an awareness that personal experiences of HBV/A and (attempted) FM can vary greatly; and, the consequent use of discretion and professional judgement in developing a tailored, client-centred approach whilst operating within statutory remits”. However, there were also criticisms of a limited victim focus and support within some services in Hertfordshire.

SafeLives (no date: 35) present the following recommendations for interventions to prevent (and reduce) HBV:

• domestic abuse services and local specialist services should work together, for instance arranging reciprocal training, to understand the links between these forms of abuse and ensure appropriate referral pathways between services

• all agencies making MARAC^[120] referrals should seek special advice before risk assessing cases in which there is a risk or presence of HBV, this may be from local specialist services or a national helpline

• domestic abuse services should review their risk assessment guidance to ensure it reflects the high levels of coercive control that can be achieved without obvious threats or violence, including how this may present in HBV cases

SafeLives (no date: 39) also advocate for information to be provided to victims-survivors in “formats and languages that are accessible and that they can identify with” within agencies delivering training on HBV, government literature, domestic abuse services. Likewise, Idriss (2018:334) notes that:

• survivors valued organisations that spoke the same language and understood their cultural needs

• these approaches made survivors feel more comfortable to disclose their experiences and seek intervention

When I worked in schools, I often saw BME young people disengage slightly from discussions around healthy relationships. This could be because they felt the subject wasn’t relevant to them until they marry, or they couldn’t be seen to engage in those types of discussions, especially if they were in a relationship. There can be so much shame attached to romantic relationships that take place out with marriage. Being Pakistani myself, I never received adequate sex or relationship education at home. The most we received in school was “as a girl, you’ll have a period. And if you don’t have a period after having sex, it means you’re pregnant”. Then at home, we weren’t allowed to talk about it. I couldn’t even mention the word ‘period’ in front of my family, and it was considered shameful to talk openly about periods in front of the men in the household. In Urdu, there are several phrases to indicate you are on your period without saying the word. For example, some people would say that ‘guests have arrived’ rather than saying ‘periods’ in front of

their mum, and there would be no mention of these ‘guests’ in front of their dad. Even during Ramadan, you can’t keep fasts if you’re on your period. And if you were seen to be eating in front of the men in the house, then that was a clear indicator that you were on your period. So, you had to hide the food you would eat while everyone else was fasting. With this level of shame attached to women’s health, it’s no wonder survivors don’t talk about abuse they’ve experienced or disclose to anyone around them.

Often in BME communities, sex or relationships aren’t allowed to be discussed, especially amongst women. Sex can be seen as a dirty and shameful thing to even allude to let alone talk about. And relationships are just something that you’ll understand and naturally navigate your way through when you get married. End of. No warning or education around abuse or gender-based violence. No information around what healthy, respectful relationships should look like and how to be a respectful partner yourself. Nothing whatsoever. And even though we’re in 2021, this is continuing. This harmful silence is still damaging young people. So, when this culture is something you’re surrounded with, how can a young person understand honour-based abuse, notice it when it happens or reach out for help? You can’t.

The importance for me in this work is to highlight to young people that services are there to support them, and that we understand. We understand the things that they know deep down but don’t know how to articulate. The things that they’ve never had the space or confidence to say. Honour-based abuse has such a coercive nature about it. Its centres around subtle forms of manipulation and abuse for families to ensure that person does what they are told. Just like when we talk about how an abuser doesn’t ‘look’ like what we imagine an abuser to look like, the same goes for honour-based abuse. It’s not always as cut and dry as we think it is. The control can be exercised through things like being called slut for wearing false nails, which was what happened to Shafilea Ahmed. Shafilea’s mum called her a slut for wearing false nails and dying her hair. Her parents killed her when she was 17 for refusing a forced marriage.

One other important difference to note about honour-based abuse compared to other forms of abuse, is that within such communities, there’s almost a network which enables and perpetuates the abuse. I mentioned that honour-based abuse involves multiple perpetrators, but what complicates this even further is that these networks can cross borders. Women have fled the abuse, and still been traced. They’ve been murdered by family friends or other members of the community as the hands of the abuser(s). Anita Gindha travelled from one end of the UK to the other to flee her family and a forced marriage, married someone she fell in love with and chose to marry and was still tracked down 2 years later and murdered by someone her family had hired.

These are all the things that make honour-based abuse so nuanced, which in turn makes it so important for us to be able to understand it, raise awareness about it and stand up for change. Eradicating the abuse may seem out of our reach but the first step to that is sharing this knowledge with others. With those at risk of suffering from it. With those who have the ability to help victims of it. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned whilst working in violence against women, it’s to never force information or support, but to guide and gently encourage. It’s to seek out and listen to lived experiences, rather than make assumptions, when we have no lived experience of it ourselves. It’s to meet survivors at their own level, at their own pace and truly support them, rather than just perpetuating the abuse again and again and assuming we know what’s best for them.

For this reason, Amina MWRC decided to host Say Her Name, a candlelight vigil to commemorate the victims of honour based killing on the last day of at the 16 days of action, Friday 10th December in Glasgow. Sadly, there will be women who don’t get accounted for, whose deaths go missed as being honour based killings. But we wanted to raise awareness, tell some of these women’s stories in an exhibition and highlight the need for change. We’re lighting candles and having reflection and prayers for these women. They aren’t just a statistic; these are real women who have been killed in the name of ‘honour’.

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delves into the ethical complexities experienced by social workers when supporting victims of honour-based abuse and violence.

The article gives interesting insight to the perceived stereotypical expectations by society, professionals and others of migrants and ethnic minority groups overall and focusses on anti-discriminatory practices, critical social work and developing anti-racist and non-violent communicative practices to support victims of honour-based abuse (Baianstovu and Strid 2019).

Examples of ethical dilemmas as stated by Olsson and Bergman (2021) are:

• Victim support - Issues of being unable to offer the right support at the right time due to financial and resource constraints for allocation of appropriate social work interventions for each individual case, causing stress and anxiety to all involved due to the necessity for swift actions.

• Social Workers experiencing a lack of specialist training and guidance in relation to honour-based abuse leading to social workers and professionals not identifying the risk of violence towards the victim/s. Specialist training in the field of identifying honour-based abuse would combat discriminatory practices too which are prevalent towards ethnic minority groups (Hoppstadius 2020 p. 89).

• Family dynamics - the difficulties experienced by social workers and police when intervening and supporting victims is the loyalty towards their families and the fear or their parents or other family members being prosecuted in their role of the HMA (Siddiqui 2016). Social workers would be required to ensure they are specially trained to support HBA cases to be confident in supporting and protecting the victim and have knowledge of the support systems and agencies available to help in these instances.

• Legal and ethical obligations - Social workers continually work with cuts to resources within their local authorities with access to legal aid compromised (Siddiqui 2016). Social workers and professionals work with regular changes to legislation and policies bringing uncertainty in the regulations they are working with and little time allocated to educate and reflect effectively.

• Balancing Empowerment and Protection: While empowering victims to make their own decisions is a fundamental principle of social work, this approach can sometimes conflict with the necessity to protect them from immediate harm, especially in cases of HBV. Utilising preventative measures as noted in Preventing violence against women and girls - what works: evidence summary (2019) where communities are educated about FGM issues, legislation, child protection procedures which is inclusive of children in school (appropriate to age, stage and culture), training health care professionals, police, teachers to respond appropriately and timeously to ensure understanding of the issues the victims are experiencing and empowering these women.

The hope was to send a clear message to all that FGM is an extremely violent act and not supported by any religious faith.

Furthermore, it was explained within the news report that women within families would unite to stand against the practice (Youtube 2014).