Lancashire Police recorded an increase of more than 200 per cent in honour-based abuse (HBA) offences last year, new figures show.
Recent data from the Home Office reveals police forces across England and Wales recorded 2,887 HBA crimes in the year to March 2022, up six per cent from 2,725 the previous year.
Lancashire Constabulary recorded 156 of these offences in 2021-22, up from 49 the year prior.
The Home Office began collecting data from police forces on HBA offences on a mandatory basis from April 2019, with 2,024 offences recorded in the first year.
Data from 2019-20 excludes Greater Manchester Police due to IT issues and does not provide a breakdown by police force.
Excluding Greater Manchester Police, there has been a 25 per cent rise in HBA offences in two years.
Karma Nirvana, a charity supporting victims of honour-based abuse, said more work needs to be done to ensure victims feel safe enough to report the abuse to police.
Ann Bonner, Karma Nirvana analyst, said many victims suffer from more than one type of HBA at the hand of multiple perpetrators, which creates further barriers in reporting to the police.
Ms Bonner added: "We are encouraged to see a slight increase in the recording of offences involving so-called ‘honour-based’ abuse recorded by the police in England and Wales during 2021-22."
The Home Office said it recognised HBA is a "hidden crime," and victims can be reluctant to bring the abuse to the attention of police.
A spokesperson said: "These data, therefore, are likely to only represent a small proportion of the actual HBA offences committed in the year ending March 2022.”
Honour-based abuse can include female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage – in the last year, 68 HBA-related FGM offences were logged by police across England and Wales, while 117 HBA-related forced marriage offences were recorded.
Two years ago, 74 FGM offences and 140 forced marriage offences were recorded, excluding Greater Manchester Police.
Ms Bonner added that "there is still so much to be done" to encourage victims in coming forward.
She said: "A lot of the time, a lot of the victims are worried about repercussions from perpetrators and mistrust the police. They don't feel like they are going to be believed."
She said the charity works with police to train them in identifying HBA when they have been contacted about other crimes, especially domestic abuse.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “Lancashire Police will not tolerate any HBA and we are committed to protecting the victims of such abhorrent behaviour and prosecuting those who engage in it.
“If you or a family member or friend is the subject of HBA we would encourage you to contact the police, knowing you and/or the victim will be listened to you, believed and protected.
“In case you don’t know, HBA is a collection of practices, which are used to control behaviour within families to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour.
“This type of violence can occur when the perpetrators perceive that a relative has shamed the family and/or community by breaking their honour code.
“This subject encompasses a variety of offences including murder, rape, assault, abduction and domestic abuse.
“The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) defines HBA as: ‘A crime or incident, which has or may have been committed, to protect or defend the honour of the family and/or community’.
“Most victims of HBV are women or girls, although men may also be at risk. Men may be targeted either by the family of a woman who they are believed to have ‘dishonoured’, in which case both parties may be at risk, or by their own family if they are believed to be homosexual.”
Common triggers for HBV include:
• Refusing an arranged marriage
• Having a relationship outside the approved group
• Loss of virginity
• Pregnancy
• Spending time without the supervision of a family member
• Reporting domestic violence
• Attempting to divorce
• Pushing for custody of children after divorce
• Refusing to divorce when ordered to do so by a family member
For more information on HBA, go to https://lancashire.police.uk/help-advice/personal-safety/forced-marriage-honour-based-violence-and-fgm/
You can report HBA to police here: https://doitonline.lancashire.police.uk/ or by calling 101.
In an emergency always call 999.
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