No honour in murder, says Minister
There can be no honour in murder, Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker told the county’s first ever roadshow tackling the issue of forced marriages and 'honour' based violence.
Mr Coaker was speaking at a special seminar at Duxford Air Museum on 12 June 2008, aimed at bringing together frontline staff dealing with victims and perpetrators of 'honour' based violence (HBV).
HBV is defined as any abuse that threatens someone’s wellbeing because they haven’t conformed to their family and community’s cultural expectations. Victims can be forced to marry, kidnapped, abused and in the worst cases, murdered.
Mr Coaker said: “So called ‘honour’-based violence is a heinous crime that has no place in our society… We know there are people across the country who are suffering. Enough is enough. We are coming together to do something about it, to ensure the suffering that takes place behind closed doors is known about and to bring an end to it.”
To tackle the problem, the Government has set up a special Forced Marriage Unit, a joint operation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office. It handles over 5000 enquiries each year and investigates 400 cases of forced marriages.
In April, the Forced Marriage Unit set up a free helpline for victims, called the Honour Network and run by the charity Karma Nirvana. The helpline is manned by survivors of “honour” crimes and forced marriages. Its number is 0800 5999 247.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is working closely with the Home Office and Forced Marriage Unit to tackle the issue. The CPS has introduced special prosecutors to deal with HBV cases.
The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act is due to come into force this autumn. Police, teachers, health professionals, social workers and other frontline staff will have a statutory obligation to help victims of forced marriages.
The Government hopes the new measures will enable more victims to come forward. Because of the fear and shame associated with seeking help, cases are grossly under-reported, Mr Coaker said.
“I want to help those who fear ‘honour’-based violence to have the confidence to come forward and report their concerns to the police.”
The Cambridgeshire seminar was the second in a series of roadshows aimed at increasing awareness and understanding. Participants discussed how to spot telltale signs of abuse and shared examples of best practise so that they could better help victims.
The roadshow was attended by police, the CPS, Probation staff, health practitioners, council representatives and local charities, including Cambridge Women’s Aid.
