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Lecture notes of 41 pages for the course Psychological Criminology at UEL (dishonour crime)
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Not Domestic Violence or Cultural Tradition: Is Honour-Based Violence Distinct from Domestic Violence?
This paper addresses an important conceptual question surrounding the
categorisation of honour-based violence (hereafter ‘HBV’) – is HBV a subspecies of
domestic violence (hereafter ‘DV’)? According to Reddy (2014), Aujla and Gill
(2014), HBV falls within the broad spectrum of DV. Utilising data extracted from
interviews conducted with 30 key agents, this paper will seek to provide
incontrovertible evidence that HBV is different to DV because the characteristics it
presents offer some differences. Furthermore, the overall strategies used to
investigate HBV by UK law enforcement agencies differ to that of DV. Being this
specific about HBV does not necessarily mean that one succumbs to cultural-
essentialist assumptions about the prevalence of such violence in particular
communities either. Rather, an understanding that HBV can be different will help to
identify the serious dangers it presents and the strategies needed to support victims.
Keywords: Honour-Based Violence; Domestic Violence; Violence Against Women
Introduction
HBV is the infliction of violence predominantly upon women who are deemed to
have brought shame and dishonour upon the family for reasons usually involving their
sexual behaviour. As a phenomenon, there has been increased recognition of HBV
and honour killings in the UK in the last decade following high-profile criminal
prosecutions convicting honour killers. Tulay Goren; Heshu Yones; Banaz Mahmod;
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,and Shafilea Ahmed were all young female (and Muslim) victims of honour killings
who were killed (primarily) by male figures for supposedly acting too western and for
engaging in relationships outside marriage. Banaz was killed in 2006 on the
instructions of her father and uncle for dating a boy they did not approve – Banaz
kissing her boyfriend outside a London tube station and it being witnessed was the
last straw and prompted the order of her killing. Five people, including her father and
uncle, were convicted for taking part in her murder. As part of a debate, there is
discussion about HBV and its relationship to other forms of violence including
whether it should fall part of the paradigm of DV and violence against women in
general (hereafter ‘VAW’). This raises some important conceptual questions: is HBV
a form of DV or should it be considered something distinct? A generally accepted
definition of DV is the cross-government definition:
any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or
abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family
members regardless of gender or sexuality. The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to,
psychological; physical; sexual; financial; and emotional.
Reddy, Aujla and Gill argue that HBV ‘should be approached primarily as a
subspecies of gender-based violence’ (Reddy, 2014: 28 and 40-41) because of the
need to avoid the ‘inappropriate focus on the alleged cultural aspects of such violence,
which treats the phenomenon as a species separate from wider domestic violence’
(Reddy, 2014: 28; Aujla and Gill, 2014: 155-159). By singling out HBV, it draws
attention to race, culture and religion and puts the ‘political spotlight’ on the
immigrant population in the UK (Eshareturi et al, 2014: 376). The argument is that if
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,we view HBV as a subspecies of DV, we avoid stereotyping HBV and amalgamate it
within DV and the wider experiences of VAW.
While one can understand the need to avoid supporting any cultural
stereotypes about HBV, it is not clear why one should draw the conclusion that HBV
has to be defined as a subspecies of DV. I agree there is a need to avoid stereotypes
that single out HBV as a ‘cultural tradition’; HBV does disproportionately target
women more so than men; and there are similarities between HBV and DV that allow
such acts to fall ‘absolutely within a broader continuum of forms of violence against
women’ (Sen, 2005: 43). However, there are several key features that make HBV
different. Contrary to the position of some authors, I argue, based on interviews with
30 key agents, that HBV is different from DV. This is based on three main strands of
argument: (a) the involvement of the community in deciding on ‘punishment’; (b) the
involvement of third parties in meting out violence; and (c) the longevity of the desire
to mete out punishment. If these views are correct and HBV is viewed separately,
does this mean one has succumbed to cultural-essentialist explanations about HBV? Is
it possible to view HBV separately from DV, whilst simultaneously rejecting the
argument that particular communities perpetrate HBV? The answer, it is submitted, is
yes. As Terman notes, ‘to be specific is not to be racist’ (Terman, 2010: 26).
Literature Review – Similarities Between HBV and DV
It is true that acts of HBV share similar features with other forms of VAW. HBV is a
patriarchal form of violence and relates to male domination over women (Sen, 2005:
50; Reddy, 2014: 31). It acts as a method to police the behaviour of women and their
sexual autonomy, thereby allowing men to exercise control (Ortner, 1978: 23). A
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, central component is the ability to protect male honour by forcing women to comply
with acceptable norms of behaviour as set and controlled by men (Sen, 2005: 50).
HBV also disproportionately targets women more so than men and so should be
subsumed under DV because it is an example of female oppression and gender
inequality (Reddy, 2014: 31-32; Aujla and Gill, 2014: 154-155). If men are targeted,
it is usually because they are seen to have dishonoured a female. In the honour killing
cases of R v Chomir Ali [2011] EWCA Crim 1011 and R v Ibrahim and Iqbal [2011]
EWCA Crim 3244, both cases involved male victims, although the latter was a case
of mistaken identity. Thus, there appears to be a growing acceptance that men are
potentially the targets of HBV just like in DV cases. Dyer cites 22 women and 7 men
were victims of honour killings/attempted honour killings in the UK in the last 5 years
(Dyer, 2015: 16). Whoever HBV is committed against, at the centre is male
domination over those who are weaker, bearing some similarity with DV (Rexvid and
Schlytter, 2012; Reddy, 2014: 32).
Although acts of HBV are generally understood to be a form of patriarchal
violence, like DV this does not preclude women inflicting violence upon other
women/men or women adopting a role in policing other women’s behaviour (Pope,
2004: 108; Sen, 2005: 50). HBV may equally involve female on female violence or
even female on male violence. In a number of academic works, mothers have been
implicated in the infliction of HBV upon daughters (Akinpar, 2003: 425-426; Wilson,
2006: 32-33; Elden, 2010: 128-130; Husseini, 2010: 157).
One explanation for female-on-female violence is that patriarchal
communities will often look to mothers and make them responsible for teaching
daughters what is acceptable behaviour within their social settings (Wilson, 2006: 30).
Older women in particular will strive hard to work in the interests of families and
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