Honour Based Violence (HBV)

Honour based violence (HBV) is a violent crime or incident which may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family or community.

It is often linked to family members or acquaintances who 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

There is no statutory definition of Honour Based Violence and there is no specific offence of "honour-based” crime". It is an umbrella term to encompass various offences covered by existing legislation. HBV can be described as a collection of practices, which are used to control behaviour within families or other social groups to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour. Such violence can occur when perpetrators perceive that a relative has shamed the family and/or community by breaking their honour code. Other forms of HBV include practices performed by perpetrators on victims for cultural or socio-conventional motives which have harmful consequences. Some of these practices include (this list should not, however, be considered as complete: FGM; Breast Ironing; and dowry abuse.

For further information and assistance to matters relating to Honour Based Violence, Forced Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation visit the Live Fear Free website.