Women’s Aid Statement on Government Measures to Challenge ‘Honour’-Based Abuse  

Isabelle Younane, head of external affairs, comments:

“We welcome the government’s new measures to challenge so-called ‘honour’- based abuse and are encouraged to see the voices of survivors, along with the advocacy of our member organisations, reflected in this response. 

The introduction of a statutory definition is an important and long-overdue step. It helps to shine a light on a form of abuse that is too often hidden, misunderstood, and minimised. Embedding this definition into law will better equip professionals across sectors to recognise, respond to, and support women and children affected by ‘honour’-based abuse, and to hold perpetrators to account. 

However, it’s vital that the new guidance from the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection is developed in close collaboration with the lived experiences and expertise of Black, minoritised, and migrant women’s organisations that are led ‘by and for’ the communities they support. Without this, there’s a real risk that survivors will continue to live in fear, their abuse masked and distorted by the language of ‘honour’ and feel unable to come forward or seek justice. 

This is a welcome step towards better recognising and meeting the needs of marginalised survivors. But it doesn’t go far enough. 

It must be matched with mandatory, specialist training in cultural competency, particularly for police and those responding to domestic abuse and wider violence against women and girls. Poor understanding of how these forms of abuse work, alongside cultural incompetency and institutional racism, too often creates further obstacles to safety and justice for survivors. 

We call on the government to support these reforms in the upcoming VAWG Strategy, while ensuring transparency on how it works and engages with the breadth of the by and for sector on these vital changes. We continue to call for a clear commitment to lasting cultural change, both in policing and across society, to build a future free from abuse. “