Honour based violence

Honour-Based Violence (HBV), is a crime or incident, which has or might have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family and/or community. It has links with forced marriage which is a marriage conducted without the valid consent of one or both parties or where duress is a factor, and with Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

It is estimated that there are at least 12 honour killings per year in the UK, and Asian women are three to four times more likely to commit suicide and self-harm. However, it does not just affect Asian families but also those from the Middle East and Africa and it is happening here in Suffolk.

One of the barriers to getting help for a victim of HBV is No Recourse To Public Funds (NRPF), which affects individuals who legally enter the UK for marriage/relationship and are awaiting a sponsor to make an application to stay. Specialist support services are available in Suffolk.

 

Female Genital Mutilation and Forced Marriage

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a collective term for all procedures, which include “the partial or total removal of the external female genital organs for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons”, World Health Organisation (WHO).

FGM is very harmful. It is not like male circumcision. It causes long-term mental and physical suffering, difficulty in giving birth, infertility and even death. FGM is much more common than most people realise and has been illegal in the UK since the Female Circumcision Prohibition Act 1985.

 

What we do?

Suffolk Police work jointly with our partners in social care services, health and Education. Here in Suffolk we have our own HBV Projects Officer who is able to offer advice and expert knowledge to victims and practitioners in these sensitive cases.

During the period 1 April 2009 – 30 September 2010, Suffolk Police has managed over 100 reports of HBV, 43 of these have involved forced marriage/potential forced marriage issues.

We have successfully obtained a number of Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPO) enabling the protection of victims here in Suffolk. The cases have predominantly been in the Ipswich area, however, we are seeing an increase in reported cases in the North and West of the county.

Always dial 999 when life is threatened, people are injured, a crime is in progress or an immediate Police response is necessary.