THERE has been a significant rise in honour based abuse crimes in the region, figures have revealed.

The data, released through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to West Yorkshire Police, shows the number of recorded offences more than quadrupled from 2016 to 2020.
But a charity which works to end honour based abuse says it is the “tip of iceberg”. 

Honour based abuse is 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 their code of behaviour. 

One of the most well known cases is that of Bradford-born Shafilea Ahmed, who was the victim of a brutal honour killing after her parents attempted to force her to marry her cousin in Pakistan.

In 2012, they were convicted of Shafilea’s murder and each jailed for a minimum of 25 years.

The West Yorkshire Police data shows there was 51 offences in 2016; 89 in 2017; 115 in 2019 and 208 in 2020. 

The figures reflect what Karma Nirvana, which runs the national honour based abuse helpline, has seen. Last year, the charity said it faced “unprecedented” call volumes to the helpline amid the Covid-19 lockdown, but there was a warning many more people would be suffering in silence. 

Speaking about the figures released by West Yorkshire Police, Natasha Rattu, Executive Director of the charity, said there is “room for improvement” in the work being done, but said: “But, I think they are better in comparison to others and that’s probably why we have that data.

"We have seen a marked increase, compared to 2019, in our 2020 data, we are seeing more people that are coming forward. I think it shows the tip of the iceberg, there’s a lot this that’s still happening.”

As well as an increase in honour based abuse crimes, there has also been an increase in the number of crimes recorded as controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship, rising from 224 in 2016 to 2,469 in 2020. 

West Yorkshire Police said: “West Yorkshire Police must effectively safeguard victims of honour based abuse and the force has clear policies and procedures in place. Specialist officers located in the force’s district Safeguarding Units are responsible for ensuring the safety of those who report concerns about themselves directly or who are otherwise brought to our attention as being potential victims, ensuring that all crimes are fully investigated and prosecuted wherever possible.”

The force also said that some work is preventative rather than reactive, particularly in cases where concerns are raised, but no crime has yet been committed. 

It said the response is always to “safeguard that person from coming to harm”.

The Serious Crime Act 2015 created a new offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in intimate or familial relationships and West Yorkshire Police said since the legislation came into force, there has been a “significant” increase in those crimes being recorded.

The UK helpline honour based abuse can be contacted on 0800 5999 247/visit  karmanirvana.org.uk.