‘Honour-based’ abuse in England increases 60% in two years

The number of “honour-based” abuse offences recorded by English police forces has increased by more than 60% in two years, figures suggest, with concerns voiced that increased polarisation is partly to blame.

Data from 26 out of 39 constabularies approached showed that there were 2,594 cases of “honour-based” abuse – which includes forced marriage, rape, death threats and assault – in 2022, compared with 1,599 in 2020.

The increase, which was even more pronounced since 2016 (up 193%) may be partly explained by more victims coming forward and improved identification of offences by police – but other factors are also believed to be at work.

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Imran Khodabocus, a director at the Family Law Company, based in south-west England, which sourced the figures, said: “In cases like this, you can’t minimise the impact of global political and social issues. In my experience, some people are becoming more rigid in their thinking and this is creating more instances where they feel they must defend their, or their families’, honour.”

He said the figures reflected his experience that honour-based offences “are not just rising, but getting more severe”.

The Metropolitan police, West Midlands and Greater Manchester forces recorded the highest rates of honour-based abuse in 2021 and 2022.

Across the two years, the Met recorded 1,213 cases, including 514 cases of violence. There were two attempted murders, 32 rapes, 310 cases of forced marriage and 49 cases of female genital mutilation.

Greater Manchester police’s tally of 729 cases included 42 of rape, 65 assaults causing actual bodily harm, 56 forced marriage offences, 104 of assault and battery and 153 instances of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.

West Midlands recorded 729 cases including 115 of coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship, 27 of rape, 19 forced marriages and 90 threats to kill.

Khodabocus said that delays in the family courts were exacerbating the problem.

“There is not the same drive to clear chronic backlogs in these courts as we have seen recently in the criminal courts,” he said. “This means many cases I act in are taking at least nine to 12 months to be resolved, leaving families and particularly children in a vulnerable position. For many of the cases I act in, a lack of court interpreters is also creating significant delays to cases.”

He expressed surprise that he was seeing more forced marriage cases, given that just over a year ago the legal age of marriage increased in the UK from 16 to 18 in an attempt to address the problem.

A spokesperson from women’s rights organisation IKWRO(Iranian & Kurdish Womens Rights) said it was deeply troubled by the increase. They added: “The observation that global political and social factors contribute to the polarisation of views and exacerbate ‘honour-based’ abuse is particularly noteworthy. It highlights the intersectionality of this issue with broader societal dynamics and underscores the need for nuanced approaches in addressing it.

“IKWRO echoes Imran’s call for more education and training for authorities to recognise the signs of ‘honour-based’ abuse and respond effectively working collaboratively with specialist organisations.”

They agreed that family court delays were “leaving victims, particularly children, in vulnerable situations for extended periods”.

A government spokesperson highlighted the increase in the legal age of marriage and the creation of a dedicated forced marriage unit to support victims, adding: “Meanwhile our courts are running at full throttle delivering justice for victims and holding offenders to account.”