Honour Based Violence

Honour Based Violence (HBV) is a crime or incident which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family or the community.
Honour Based Violence is a form of domestic violence which is perpetrated in the name of so called ‘honour' and includes such traditional practices as :

- Female Genital Mutilation (FGM),
- Forced Arranged Marriage (FAM),
- Child Marriage (CM) and
- Domestic Violence (DV).

Honour Based Violence affects girls and women and to a certain extent boys and men.

More about Honour Based Violence

It is often linked to family members or acquaintances who mistakenly believe someone has brought shame to their family or community by doing something that is not in keeping with the traditional beliefs of their culture. For example, honour based violence might be committed against people who:
-become involved with a boyfriend or girlfriend from a different culture or religion
-want to get out of an arranged marriage
-want to get out of a forced marriage
-wear clothes or take part in activities that might not be considered traditional within a particular culture

Women and girls are the most common victims of honour based violence however it can also affect men and boys. Crimes of ‘honour’ do not always include violence.
Crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’ might include:

-domestic abuse
-threats of violence
-sexual or psychological abuse
-forced marriage
-being held against your will or taken somewhere you don’t want to go
-assault

A forced marriage is one that is carried out without the consent of both people. This is very different to an arranged marriage, which both people will have agreed to. There is no religion that says it is right to force you into a marriage and you are not betraying your faith by refusing such a marriage.