‘Honour-Based Abuse’ research report shines light on legal system shortfalls

Honour-Based Abuse (HBA) is a crime or incident committed to protect or defend the ‘honour’ of a family or community. In 2023, there were just under 3,000 cases of honour-based abuse in the UK. However, fewer than 100 ended in a conviction.

This March, Dr Maz Idriss (Law School) launched, ‘Honour-based abuse in the courts: Shaping strategies for key issues’ a research report and policy briefing exploring the complex issues surrounding Honour-Based Abuse (HBA) and its intersection with the judicial system. Over 60 stakeholders attended the launch event at Manchester Met, including legal professionals, academics, and policymakers. In recognition of the growing interest in this area, and the importance of the research findings, the launch event featured as the leading story for Granada News.

The research report and policy briefing are the result of Dr Idriss’ pioneering research project, ‘HBA and the Courts’, which was conducted alongside the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) and The Sky Project. The project partners recognised a need to better understand the low prosecution and conviction rates for Honour-Based Abuse and Forced Marriage (FM), the high discontinuance in the criminal courts, and low applications for Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs) in the civil courts. Through this project, they have identified instances of good practice, areas for improvement, and recommendations to improve outcomes for victims and bring perpetrators to justice in the court.

These recommendations, directed to police forces, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), government and local authorities, were shared by Dr Idriss as part of the launch event’s opening presentation. Throughout the day, attendees heard from multiple speakers undertaking crucial work to tackle HBA. This included Gayle Trowman, a former Detective with the West Midlands Police, who discussed her experience of working on HBA cases, and issues around police intervention. Payzee Mahmod, Campaigns Manager for IKWRO and sister of so-called ‘honour’ killing victim Banaz Mahmod, shared her reflections on the research report, and how to take the recommendations forward.

On the importance of this research, Dr Idriss commented:

“There is a general lack of legal research conducted into HBA and forced marriage studies in law. It is crucial for us to address victim attrition rates, law prosecution and low conviction rates, so that victims can feel protected by the law and perpetrators brought to justice. No one should experience abuse for the sake of family ‘honour’ or the reputation of the family. HBA and forced marriage represents some of the most serious and heinous acts of abuse because the lives of victims are controlled, and in some instances, the lives of victims are taken. We cannot tolerate such acts of abuse and harmful practices and legal reform is one important step to show the law’s and society’s condemnation of such practices.”