“Vulnerable victims of honor abuse will be stuck in a vicious cycle if change doesn’t happen now”

Leeds-based charity Karma Nirvana has written to the government calling for a statutory definition of honor abuse.

The charity’s aim is to end honor abuse in the UK. It runs a national helpline to help those affected and in its latest campaign called on the government to do more to help victims and create a statutory definition, for which there is currently no one in England and Wales.

Karma Nirvana has previously campaigned with sector partners including Women’s Aid and Right to Equality, as well as Leeds mum Yasmin Javed – whose daughter Fawziyah was pushed from Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh by her husband Kashif Anwar. The #Push4Change campaign was launched in March this year and called on the Government to introduce the definition.

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The charity said: “The sector has since come together to agree a statutory definition for honor abuse which is legally sound and ready to be added to the statute with the Minister’s support. This development signals not only progress. but also a strong call to action As advocates for change, the sector supports the rights of HBA (honour-based abuse) survivors and demands accountability from decision-makers”.

A letter has been written to MP Laura Farris inviting her to meet with campaigners to understand the impact this would have and to urgently introduce a statutory definition for HBA.

Karma Nirvana said: “The impact of this will mean there is better identification through a shared understanding of honor abuse across all professional sectors, better protection for victims through better guidance from statutory guidance and victim empowerment , more research and accurate data collection, and more consistent reporting, which in turn leads to proper allocation of resources through informed decision making.

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“Despite the tireless efforts of charities over the past three decades, effectively tackling honour-based abuse remains a challenge. Last year, the Women and Equality Committee’s recommendation for a statutory definition was rejected by the government, leaving vulnerable HBA victims in a vicious cycle of being continually misunderstood without a definition.”

In the past year, Karma Nirvana says it handled 2,549 cases of honor-based abuse and 9,074 people contacted its helpline in 2023.

An honor abuse survivor who gave evidence to the inquiry said: “As someone who has experienced honor abuse, it’s disheartening to know that we still don’t have a clear legal definition. If we really want to end this, we need to start by defining it precisely. It is not just a matter of words; it’s about giving survivors the recognition and support they deserve, and that starts with recognizing the problem for what it really is.”

Natasha Rattu, chief executive of Karma Nirvana, said: “We have today written to Minister Laura Farris with an urgent request to add a statutory definition for honor abuse. We asked him to meet and discuss the impact of a lack of statutory definition in the UK, which is a crucial starting point for identifying cases and supporting victims.

“We have come together as an industry to write a legally sound definition that is ready to be put into statute.”

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