Kirma Nirvana Presentation - LRSB

© 2019 Karma Nirvana karmanirvana.org.uk

Honour Based Abuse and

Forced Marriage

© 2019 Karma Nirvana

Founded in 1993 by Jasvinder Sanghera CBE

Government funded National Helpline - 0800 5999 247

Only helpline for all male and female victims of HBA and FM

Face to face Advocacy Service in West Yorkshire

Training courses, awareness sessions and support for

professionals

Campaign for change, instrumental in:

• Development for Forced Marriage Civil Protection Act

• Drafting Forced Marriage Criminal law

• Day of Memory to remember victims of Honour Killings

• Supporting a bill to criminalise child marriage and raise the

age of marriage to 18

karmanirvana.org.uk


Forced Marriage


A marriage where one or

both people do not (or in

cases of people with learning

disabilities cannot) consent

to the marriage and pressure

or abuse is used.

karmanirvana.org.uk

A marriage in which families

take a leading role, but the

parties have the free will and

choice to accept or decline

the arrangement.

Arranged Marriage Forced Marriage

GREY AREA:

An Arranged

Marriage can

become a

Forced

Marriage

Key Question:

How would your family react if you said NO?


Honour Based Abuse


‘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’

National Police Chiefs Council definition

karmanirvana.org.uk

What is Honour Based Abuse?


H

BA

Murder

Rape

HarassmentForced Marriage

FGM

Threats to Kill

Kidnap

Coercive ControlCommon Assault

ABH

GBH



o Muslim

o Female

o Oppressed

o Wears a headscarf

o Very religious

o Conservative family

karmanirvana.org.uk

o Honour Based Abuse does not

discriminate

o Affects females (predominately) but also

males (11% of KN service users)

o Whilst HBA and FM disproportionately

affects South Asian women, it also

affects a wide range of other

communities, incl. Irish Traveller, Turkish,

Roma, Middle Eastern, European and

African communities.

Possible

HBA

Triggers

Dating

Career

choice

Refusing

arranged

marriage

Being

LGBTQPIA

+Being too

westernised

makeup,

clothing

Changing or

denouncing

religion or

faith

Pregnancy

before or

outside of

marriage

Wanting or

not wanting

a

termination



Protect family name or honour against any perceived

shame caused by an individual

Family falsely interpret HBA or FM to be part of religion

Keeping land, money and marriages within extended

family

Practiced through generations and seen as ‘norm’

behaviour

Family history

Immigration

Fear? Disowned, ‘conditioned mind’, unaware of support

services

karmanirvana.org.uk


Data & Statistics

The lowest in

5 years

43% drop in

number of

HBA cases

flagged to CPS

Leeds

2018

Birmingham

2018


53% increase

in victim

reports of HBA

to the police

Since Forced

Marriage

became a

criminal

offence in 20143 criminal

prosecutions of

Forced

Marriage

However

Wales

2015


0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Referrals to CPS Suspects Charged Prosecutions Convictions

Honour Based Abuse CPS Data

2013 - 2014 2014 - 2015 2015 - 2016 2016 - 2017 2017 - 2018

karmanirvana.org.uk


12 Honour Killings

every year in the UK (Cowan, 2004)

Forced Marriage Unit

handled 1,764 cases in

2018

219% increase in

Romanian cases

The FMU repatriated

23 individuals in 2018

The FMU has handled

cases relating to over

110 countries

Over 60% of cases

are referred by

professionals

karmanirvana.org.uk© 2019 Karma Nirvana

1.

West Yorkshire

2671

2.

Metropolitan

1333

4.

Greater Manchester

447

5.

Thames Valley

362

7.

Derbyshire

262

8.

South Yorkshire

260

9.

Nottinghamshire

249

10.

Kent

217

3.

West Midlands

479

11.

Sussex

168

12.

Staffordshire

153

2018

Contacts to

KN by

Police Area

6.

Leicestershire

298


• 273 contacts for 31 cases living in Leicestershire• 58 contacts were made by professionals• Professionals included Leicestershire police, Adult Social Care, Mental Health,

GP and Education• The majority of cases were aged 18 – 24 yrs.

• The youngest victim was a 14 year old girl at risk of FM and experiencing HBAfrom her family. Her parents were planning on returning to their country oforigin for their daughter to marry her first cousin. Professionals were advisedto inform statutory services and for Leicestershire police to carry out KN RA.

karmanirvana.org.uk

Leicestershire Statistics


Current Picture


HBA is often identified and labelled as

Domestic Abuse

Understood to be an

exclusive ‘South Asian

female Muslim

problem’

There is a

‘misunderstanding’

that these harmful

abuses are the “norm”

in “some

communities”

Victims fear they will

not be believed by

professionals.

This can be from

previous experience

Lack of prioritisation

of HBA nationally

Inconsistent practice of

responding to HBA

nationally

HBA

is

misidentified

HBA

is

inaccurately

recorded

HBA

is

misunderstood

HBA

is

under reported

Equip

professionals with

the confidence to

recognise through

training and

support

Build confidence

in challenging this

abuse by raising

awareness and

guidance

Building

confidence

though training

will give

professionals the

opportunity to be

able to identify

HBA therefore

record it correctly

Evaluate and

update recording

processes and

systems where

possible

THE SOLUTIONS

Identify

HBA

Understand

HBA

Report

HBA

Record

HBA


Safeguard

Subjective

Get expert advice from Karma Nirvana

Get the facts – before you act!

Every victim has a

different journey

Believe the person you are supporting

oUnderstand the shame of speaking out

o Reassure them culture, religion and tradition is

not an excuse for abuse

Build victims confidence

oMaintain victims trust

o Reassure them you will not mediate with

parents/family/community

Better protect

o Risk assessments and Safety plans

o Referral to relevant agencies



make judgements

based on

assumptions

use Community

leader as

representative of

victim

see the family as the

‘protective’ being as

is “expected norm”

mediate with family

or members of the

Community

be worried about

being culturally

insensitive or racist

“Wheel out the

Diversity Officer” –

“Asian officer to deal

with Asian problem”


“Cultural acceptance does

not mean accepting the

unacceptable”

Sir Ian Blair

Former Met Police Commissioner

karmanirvana.org.uk

“We must not allow political

correctness to lead us to

moral blindness”

Mike O’Brien, MP

Instilling Confidence


Thank you!

knsap.org.uk

Documents

Kirma Nirvana Presentation - LRSB