So-called ‘honour’-based abuse (including Female Genital Mutilation and Forced Marriage)

Introduction

So-called ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) encompasses incidents or crimes which have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family and/or the community, including female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage, and practices such as breast ironing. Abuse committed in the context of preserving ‘honour’ often involves a wider network of family or community pressure and can include multiple perpetrators. It is important to be aware of this dynamic and additional risk factors when deciding what form of safeguarding action to take. All forms of HBA are abuse (regardless of the motivation) and should be handled and escalated as such. Professionals in all agencies, and individuals and groups in relevant communities, need to be alert to the possibility of a child being at risk of HBA, or already having suffered HBA.

FGM

FGM comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs. It is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting harmful consequences.

FGM mandatory reporting duty for teachers

Section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 (as inserted by section 74 of the Serious Crime Act 2015) places a statutory duty upon teachers, along with regulated health and social care professionals in England and Wales, to report to the police where they discover (either through disclosure by the victim or visual evidence) that FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under 18.

Forced marriage

Forcing a person into a marriage is a crime in England and Wales. A forced marriage is: one entered into without the full and free consent of one or both parties and where violence, threats or any other form of coercion is used to cause a person to enter into a marriage. Threats can be physical or emotional and psychological. A lack of full and free consent can be where a person does not consent or where they cannot consent (if they have learning disabilities, for example). Nevertheless, some perpetrators use perceived cultural practices to coerce a person into marriage. Schools and colleges can play an important role in safeguarding children from forced marriage.

So called faith-based abuse

There is a variety of definitions associated with abuse linked to faith or belief. The National Action Plan includes the below when referring to Child Abuse Linked to Faith or Belief (CALFB):

Belief in concepts of:

• witchcraft and spirit possession, demons or the devil acting through children or leading them astray (traditionally seen in some Christian beliefs),
• the evil eye or djinns (traditionally known in some Islamic faith contexts) and
• dakini (in the Hindu context);
• ritual or muti murders where the killing of children is believed to bring supernatural benefits or the use of their body parts is believed to produce potent magical remedies;
• use of belief in magic or witchcraft to create fear in children to make them more compliant when they are being trafficked for domestic slavery or sexual exploitation.

After the recent announcement under the Health and Social Care Act 2022 with Virginity Testing and Hymenoplasty becoming illegal, Karma Nirvana held a series of virtual workshops ‘Tackling Virginity Myths’. Videos can be accessed here.

Getting support locally

• Make a referral to First Response.
• Bristol City Council: Abuse and violence – advice and information.
• Types of Abuse - Bristol Against Violence and Abuse.

Other resources

• National action plan to tackle child abuse linked to faith or abuse.
• Schools Charter on Ending Harmful Practices.pdf &
• Child Abuse Linked to Faith or Belief (CALFB)- from the National FGM Centre.
• Child abuse linked to faith or abuse - Advice and information & Guidance for Schools and Colleges from the Metropolitan Police.

National resources

• Forced marriage – Safeguarding Network
• Awareness of Forced Marriage - free Online Course developed with the Forced Marriage Unit of the Foreign Office.
• Honour-based Abuse – Safeguarding Network
• Gender based violence – Safeguarding Network
• Female genital mutilation – Safeguarding Network
• Female Genital Mutilation: Recognising and Preventing FGM - a free online safeguarding training course developed for the Home Office
• The expect respect education toolkit - toolkit is full of resources for teachers to help educate young people on healthy relationships and gender-based violence from Women's aid.