Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens are the victims of honour killings each year.

The government finds so called honour-based violence unacceptable and condemns this practice. At the Girl Summit in July the College of Policing announced the development of a new Authorised Professional Practice (APP) for police on honour based violence and forced marriage. The APP is the official and most up to date source of policing practice. In 2015 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies will be carrying out an inspection into honour based violence. The inspection will look at the way cases are handled, how officers are trained and any community based prevention work.

While the government does not hold specific data on honour killings of British citizens as it is not a separately identifiable offence, the Crown Prosecution Service Violence Against Women and Girls Report 2013-14 published in July 2014 sets out that the volume of referrals from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service of honour based violence related offences rose to 240 in 2013-14 from 230 in 2012-2013. 158 (65.8% of these referrals) were charged. 206 defendants were prosecuted for honour based violence related offences in 2013-2014, a rise from 200 last year, with 59.7% convicted.

To improve the extra-territorial reporting and prosecution of honour killings, extra-territorial provision is included in the new forced marriage offence, introduced through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The Serious Crime Bill includes provisions to extend extra-territorial jurisdiction over offences of female genital mutilation, recognised in some instances as a type of honour based violence, committed abroad.

Witnesses in cases of honour based violence may be eligible for special measures during the trial, such as giving evidence from behind a screen or with

the assistance of a video link, to enable them to give their best possible evidence. The Judge can also order that the court is cleared if intimidation is suspected in the court room. The police can employ measures proportionate to an assessed risk to the witness, including the installation of locks and security alarms. In the most serious cases where there is a threat to life, witnesses may be referred to the UK Protected Person Service for the highest level of protection.