What is honour-based abuse?
In this section:
| 1. What is honour-based abuse? |
| 2. How to report honour-based abuse |
| 3. Honour-based abuse support organisations |
Honour-based abuse is a crime or incident committed to protect or defend the 'honour' of a family or community.
If your family or community think you've shamed or embarrassed them by behaving in a certain way, they may punish you for breaking their 'honour' code.
Is honour-based abuse happening to you?
Have you been threatened or abused if you've tried to:
- have a relationship or marry someone outside your community or someone within your community that your family don't approve of
- separate or divorce
- talk to certain people
- have sex before marriage
- become pregnant or give birth outside of marriage
- wear clothes your family or community think are inappropriate
- use drugs or alcohol
- access higher education
- challenge what your family or community expect of you
- disagree with the religion of your family or community
People who carry out honour-based abuse are often close family members but also extended family or community members.
Types of honour-based abuse
There isn't one specific crime of honour-based abuse. It can involve a range of crimes and behaviours, such as:
- forced marriage
- domestic abuse (physical, sexual, psychological, emotional or financial)
- sexual harassment and sexual violence (rape and sexual assault or the threat of)
- threats to kill, physical and emotional violence and murder
- pressure to go or move abroad
- being kept at home with no freedom
- not allowed to use the telephone, internet, or have access to important documents like your passport or birth certificate
- isolation from friends and members of your own family
Warning signs
If you're concerned about someone being abused, here are some warning signs to look out for:
- acting withdrawn or upset
- bruising or other unexplained physical injury
- depression, self-harming or attempted suicide
- unexplained absence or poor performance at school or work
- their movements at home are strictly controlled
- family rows, domestic violence
- running away from home
- a family history of relatives going missing