“They Will Keep Seeing Young Women Murdered by Men. Enough Is Enough-We Have Seen too Many Women Lose Their Lives”. Lessons for Professionals Working with Victims of ‘Honour’ Abuse and Violence

Abstract

<jats:p>The brutal ‘honour’ killing of Banaz Mahmod, aged 20, is still one of the most prominent murder cases of this kind in Britain. This was due partly to its complexity as well as the poor police response to Banaz’s pleas for help before her death—most notably, she reported her abuse on multiple occasions, forewarned them of her murder, and named her killers. This tragic case was a painful example of how professional agencies in the UK fail victims of so called ‘honour’ abuse and violence. Fifteen years on, support services are still naive about the people and communities most vulnerable to ‘honour’ abuse in Britain. More recently, campaigns to include Black, Asian, and other ethnic minority victims in the mainstream domestic abuse agenda have encouraged agencies to be culturally-competent in their support of ‘honour’ abuse victims, to redress previous failings. To facilitate this, this study conducted a focus group discussion with fourteen women (12 victim survivors and 2 support workers) recruited from a support organisation for ethnic minority women dealing with ‘honour’ abuse, to gain insight into their lived experiences. Interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate themes emerged, each with two sub-themes; vulnerability (sub-themes, fear of external organisations and racism); organisational and agency support (sub-themes, education and support from law enforcement), and rules and restrictions (sub-themes, immigration status and agency funding). These themes should be explored by professionals to better understand how to support female victims of ‘honour’ abuse and violence, without disparaging their culture.</jats:p>

The “epidemic within the pandemic”: meeting the needs of racially minoritised women experiencing domestic abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic

“…Minoritised and migrant women face multiple internal and external barriers that prevent them from seeking support ranging from language barriers, lack of knowledge of legal rights and support options, cultural pressures, and fear (Begum, et al, 2020). Mainstream services deny and rationalise domestic abuse against minoritised women which creates a barrier to them being able to access effective support (Femi-Ajao, et al, 2018).…”

‘Honour’‐based abuse: A descriptive study of survivor, perpetrator, and abuse characteristics

“…Dyer, 2015; Gill, 2008), as well as in vulnerability characteristics, for example, having an insecure immigration status (e.g. Bates, 2021; Begum et al., 2020; Payton, 2014). However, despite recognition of recurring characteristics, limited research exists on the prevalence of each of these characteristics within a larger sample (Bates, 2021).…”

An analysis of minoritisation in domestic homicide reviews in England and Wales

“…Femi-Ajao et al (2020) found four barriers preventing DVA disclosure to services for Black and minoritised victims in the UK: immigration status, particularly ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’, community influences, lack of interpreters, and unsupportive attitudes from staff within mainstream services. These interconnected barriers are reflected in the under-reporting of DVA for minoritised women (Sundari, 2008; Femi-Ajao et al, 2020) and can prevent victims from seeking support or restrict their ability to leave an abusive environment (Begum et al, 2020; Burman et al, 2004; Dudley, 2017; Sundari 2008). Spousal migrants to the UK are often unaware of their rights and can be manipulated by their perpetrators into believing that they could be deported or separated from their children should they seek support (Begum et al, 2020; DAC, 2021; Harrar, 2021).…”

“…These interconnected barriers are reflected in the under-reporting of DVA for minoritised women (Sundari, 2008; Femi-Ajao et al, 2020) and can prevent victims from seeking support or restrict their ability to leave an abusive environment (Begum et al, 2020; Burman et al, 2004; Dudley, 2017; Sundari 2008). Spousal migrants to the UK are often unaware of their rights and can be manipulated by their perpetrators into believing that they could be deported or separated from their children should they seek support (Begum et al, 2020; DAC, 2021; Harrar, 2021). However, deportation is a possible outcome and insecure status engenders fear of services (Chantler et al 2003; Dudley, 2017; Sundari, 2008).…”

“…A lack of understanding of culture and community influences has meant that some professionals make assumptions about the levels of abuse that are acceptable within these diasporas, deciding not to intervene to respect multiculturalism and fears of being labelled culturally insensitive or racist (Begum et al, 2020;Burman et al, 2004;Chantler et al, 2021;Wiper, 2012). Chantler et al (2001) have termed this 'race anxiety', resulting in a loss of protection for DVA victimsurvivors.…”