6
Mar
2015
By Calvin at 09:10 GMT, 10 years ago
With International Woman’s Day fast approaching (8 March) I was pleased to receive the following press release from Cumbria Constabulary, which highlights the dreadful problem of ‘honour’ based violence
Here it is in full....
Honour based violence is a collection of practices, which are used to control behaviour within families to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour. Such violence can occur when perpetrators perceive that a relative has shamed the family and/or community by breaking their honour code.
There is no honour in the commission of murder, rape, kidnap, and the many other acts, behaviour, and conduct, which make up violence in the name of so called honour.
Detective Inspector Gemma Hannah of the Public Protection Unit said:
“We have had no honour based violence incidents reported within Cumbria in recent times, however that does not mean that it does not or will not happen here. Honour based violence is something we treat very seriously, and will not be tolerated in Cumbria.
“Women are predominantly, but not exclusively the victims of so called ‘honour based violence’ which is used to assert male power in order to control female autonomy and sexuality. Crimes of so called ‘honour’ can take many forms but those committed might include domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual or psychological abuse, forced marriage, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. I want to take this opportunity to raise awareness within Cumbria of honour based violence and the many forms it can take and encourage communities to report any concerns they may have.
“Such violence cuts across all cultures, nationalities, faith groups, and communities. I would encourage anyone who has any concerns or is aware of any instances of this nature to report to Cumbria Police. Any reports will be dealt with sensitively and professionally by trained officers.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Richard Rhodes said:
“Honour-based violence is a particularly difficult crime to tackle as it tends to happen behind closed doors and victims are terrified of coming forward. We must raise awareness of this unacceptable behaviour and I would encourage anyone affected by this to come forward.”
Anyone who would like to report an incident of honour based violence, domestic abuse, or has any concerns should call Cumbria Police on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always call 999.
For more information please visit www.cumbria.police.uk/honourbasedviolence
