Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Deferred
Paragraph: 48
Lack of a statutory definition for honour-based abuse hinders understanding and justice
Conclusion
In order to tackle so-called honour-based abuse effectively, it is crucial there is shared understanding of it across all agencies. The introduction of a statutory definition of honour-based abuse would contribute to social and professional understanding, help to improve data collection and ultimately assist in bringing more perpetrators to justice.
Government Response Summary
The government deflected the recommendation, responding instead about existing funding for HBA charities and VAWG services, without addressing the call for a statutory definition of honour-based abuse.
Paragraph Reference:
48
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The Government is grateful to HBA charities for the vital work they do. We understand the particular difficulties faced by HBA charities in bidding for funding, so we have sought to make it easier for them, for example, by promoting consortium bidding arrangements and providing more time than is standard for applications. In November 2022, we commenced an open commercial competition – the VAWG Specialist and Support Services Fund - which included £8.3m of funding for ‘by and for’ and specialist services, across financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25. These services cover many HBA organisations: for example, we are funding the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire who are working with Savera UK to increase reporting of FGM and forced marriage. In addition, Refuge are being funded to work collaboratively with specialist by- and-for organisations to support them in responding effectively to the risks of facilitated abuse through training, which will also include support for victims of HBA. This will enable vital services, which are based in the communities they serve, to support victims often facing the greatest barriers to getting the help they need. The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) National Statement of Expectations and Commissioning Toolkit8, which we published in March 2022, provides support to those commissioning services at a local level, this includes guidance to help them understand the importance of and considerations which apply in relation to the provision of ‘by and for’ and specialist services. 7 First response | College of Policing 8 Commissioning services to tackle violence against women and girls - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Support for victims with no recourse to public funds