Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Deferred
Paragraph: 39
Include specific questions on honour-based abuse within the Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment tool
Recommendation
The Government must include specific questions on honour-based abuse in the Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment tool to help both victims and police officers identify risks confidently and accurately.
Government Response Summary
The government does not address the recommendation to include specific HBA questions in the Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment tool, instead discussing existing non-statutory definitions and statutory guidance for FGM and forced marriage, and stating they will keep the need for a statutory definition under review.
Paragraph Reference:
39
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that professionals recognise and understand HBA. There is a clear non-statutory definition which both the Home Office and the CPS already use: “an incident or crime involving violence, threats of violence, intimidation, coercion or abuse (including psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse) which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of an individual, family and/or community for alleged or perceived breaches of the family and/ or community’s code of behaviour”. In addition we have published statutory guidance on both FGM and forced marriage which professionals are legally required to have regard to. It is not clear that making the definition statutory would improve understanding of or the response to these crimes, however, we will continue to keep this under review. Supporting victims and reforming the law - migrant victims