BAME

Victims can be subjected to abuse by partners or family members to “protect or defend the honour of the family”.

Honour is recognized as Izzat, Ghairat, Namus, Sharam.

Honour-based abuse and violence is used to control behaviour within families to protect cultural beliefs and notions of honour. It often includes extreme forms of coercive control. Victims may be threatened with abandonment in another country and in extreme cases killed if they have been perceived to have dishonoured the family.

Although women are more likely to be victims of honour-based abuse, men can be subjected to it too. Men are especially at risk if they are gay or identifying differently.

FGM is practiced in communities that originate from parts of the Middle East, Asia and Africa and is a crime in the UK. It involves the partial or full circumcision of female genitalia often without anaesthetic or proper medical equipment. It is extremely painful and can cause lifelong complications for the victim.

The Elm Foundation can support you whatever your ethnicity or background. We work with victims and survivors from all backgrounds and are sensitive to cultural barriers that may prevent a victim from seeking support.

Forced marriage is where someone is coerced, threatened, or pressured into marrying against their will. Usually, victims are forced into marriage by their family. Some victims are forced into marriage because they cannot consent due to a physical or learning disability and duress is used. Victims may be threatened, imprisoned or abandoned if they resist the marriage.