So-called ‘honour’-based violence
So-called ‘honour’-based violence is a collection of practices used to control behaviour within families to protect perceived cultural, spiritual, and religious beliefs and/or ‘honour’.
It is often linked to family members or acquaintances who mistakenly believe someone has brought shame to their family or community by doing something that is not in keeping with the traditional beliefs of their culture.
This is a form of domestic abuse but in most so-called ‘honour’- based violence cases there are multiple perpetrators from the immediate family, sometimes the extended family and occasionally the community at large.
It is important to note that since the concepts of 'honour', 'purity' and what is 'natural' exist across cultural borders, so-called ‘honour’-based violence has been witnessed and reported in every community.