Tag: Cheshire

‘Honour’-based abuse (HBA) remains a Cheshire issue despite decrease in reports by police

A national charity working in Cheshire to help people at risk of ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) and harmful practices like FGM and forced marriage has warned that HBA remains a local issue, despite a decrease in reports of HBA-related offences by police.

Data published by the Home Office last week has shown a 16 percent decrease in ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA)-related offences reported by police in Cheshire in the year ending March 2024, and an eight percent decrease nationally.

However, since launching its partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire in April 2023, it has seen a 400 percent increase in HBA referrals into its service from the county.

Savera UK CEO and Founder, Afrah Qassim, said: “While a decrease in reports of HBA-offences appears positive, for us as a frontline grassroots organisation, today’s data is deeply concerning.

“What is being reported by police contradicts what we are seeing on the ground here in Cheshire, with referrals for HBA cases from the county actually increasing by 400 percent since our partnership with Cheshire PCC began. HBA remains a local issue that happens here and can affect anyone.

“We believe that the decrease may be indicative of challenges such as fear or reluctance to report HBA offences to police out of fear for reprisal or consequences; the fear of not being believed or the issues not being understood, or the high risk of harm that is characteristic of HBA and harmful practices not being recognised.

“While there have been considerable improvements, the latest data suggests that there is still a lack of understanding and education around HBA and harmful practices that are impacting identification, response and reporting by the police and other statutory services.

“Through our partnership with Cheshire PCC we have been able to help and work alongside police and other professionals to better identify cases of HBA and respond appropriately, which has been reflected in the number of referrals into our services, but there is still much work to be done.

“Fear and reluctance to report HBA offences needs to be addressed by well-funded community engagement led by specialist organisations in this field, to break down those barriers.

“Further training and education are also needed to help police and other professionals better identify, respond to and record HBA offences.  The disparity in police data and what specialist services are seeing also raises a question mark over if current recording systems are fit for purpose.

“Despite the decrease in reports revealed in today’s data, we know that what is reported and even what we see on the frontline is only the tip of the iceberg. We are fortunate to work in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire and welcome his commitment to improving responses locally, as well as contributing to our mission to end HBA and harmful practices for good.”

The latest data also revealed a decrease in reports of HBA incidents in Cheshire, which refer to incidents reported to the police that following investigation do not amount to an offence, according to the National Crime Recording Standard.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Dan Price, said: “Increasing the understanding and awareness of HBA and harmful practices, not only in communities, but in educational settings, the health care sector and the police, can help to prevent crimes from occurring and help survivors and those at risk.

“It is important to fund services like this, because even if we are able to help just one person as a result of this partnership, it’s been worthwhile.”

Although HBA offences reported were down overall nationally the number of FGM offences increased slightly to 111 this year (vs 86 in 2022/23), as were forced marriage offences, which increased to 201 this year (vs 173 in 2022/23).

HBA cases in Cheshire reflect findings of new Savera UK research

Savera UK, the charity working to end ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) and harmful practices including female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage and conversion ‘therapy’ in Cheshire has revealed its work in the county reflects findings its latest academic research with the University of Liverpool.

‘Honour’ and Its Upholders: Perpetrator Types in ‘Honour’-Based Abuse, which examines perpetrator types in HBA cases, was published last month by Routledge in the Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice. 

The new research investigated if various HBA characteristics correlated with different types of perpetrator-survivor relationships. Using the same data set from a previous descriptive study (Ridley et al 2022), it identified three perpetrator subtypes: Intimate partner only, family only and intimate partner and family and examined patterns in perpetrator gender, risk factors and abuse characteristics.

Savera UK Direct Intervention Team Coordinator, Merfat Musleh, said: “Understanding different types of perpetrators and their motivations, as well as risk factors and abuse characteristics, is vital for professionals, which is why this research is so important.

“Taking an evidence-based approach can inform and improve both recognition of and response to HBA, as well as ensuring professionals provide the best possible help to survivors and those at risk.

“Many of the findings in the study are reflected in what we are seeing in our work in Cheshire. We have noticed a trend in cases of HBA from the county that are perpetrated by the intimate partner and family subtype identified in our latest research, which falls in line with the fact that there are usually multiple perpetrators within HBA and harmful practices.

“At this stage, all survivors from Cheshire are female and the primary perpetrators have mostly been intimate partners. In those relationships, there are usually children involved and there has therefore been a theme of survivors being involved in the Family Court.

“Alongside our casework and academic research, we have conducted focus groups with survivors who have said that they feel professionals do lack understanding around HBA and harmful practice, something that was also concluded in the research paper. I would urge any professional wishing to improve their understanding of HBA to read our latest research and add it to their toolkit for when working on cases – or suspected cases of – HBA or harmful practices.”

Savera UK works with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire to end HBA and harmful practices in the county. Since the start of the partnership in April 2023, referrals from Cheshire have increased by 400%, highlighting the vital importance of collaborative working with specialist services like Savera UK and improved training and information for frontline professionals.

Read the full paper here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24732850.2024.2390872 

 

Do ‘Honour’-Based Abuse and Harmful Practices Happen In Cheshire?

Hundreds of thousands  of people face violence, abuse or death each year due to ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) and harmful practices, yet there is a common misconception that these issues  only happen  in certain communities. This is inaccurate, perpetuates harmful stereotypes and also can prevent cases from being identified and properly responded to, meaning that survivors and those at risk do not get the help they need.

HBA and harmful practices, including forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and conversion ‘therapy’ can happen to anyone, regardless of age, culture, sexuality, gender or ethnicity. When we expanded our service into Cheshire in April 2023, through our partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, The  initial response from some stakeholders was that these issues were not present in the borough.

However, since then Savera UK has seen a 400% increase in referrals from Cheshire for people who have been subjected to, or are at risk of HBA and harmful practices.

Savera UK Founder and CEO, Afrah Qassim, said: “The initial response to our expansion into Cheshire mirrored the response we received when we first launched Savera UK in Merseyside, more than 14 years ago. Because there was no data to evidence the presence of HBA and harmful practices, people did not believe it was an issue for Merseyside.

“From working within communities, we knew differently. The issues of HBA and harmful practices are often hidden and can be difficult for professionals to identify and challenge. We developed a service that allowed us to start collecting the data to evidence the presence of the issues and providing professionals and communities with the knowledge and tools to identify them and respond appropriately.

“We are now working with a host of organisations and statutory and voluntary services who have joined our mission to end HBA and harmful practices, and we are bringing the same model we used in Merseyside to Cheshire. We are breaking the myth that Cheshire communities are not affected and showing that HBA and harmful practices do happen here in Cheshire, and that we can end them by working together.”

Working in partnership with The Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire Savera UK’s Project Development Coordinator, Ayesha, has developed partnerships with other organisations through engagement, outreach and training, which has helped to improve identification of and response to HBA and harmful practices and increase referrals into our Direct Intervention Team.

While progress has been made, we know there’s more to do. This led to the launch of our latest campaign HBA & HARMFUL PRACTICES HAPPEN HERE.

What are HBA and Harmful Practices?

‘Honour’-based abuse (HBA) is a crime or incident that has or may have been committed to protect or defend the perceived ‘honour’ of the family and/or community.

Harmful practices have been recognised as a human rights violation. However, those who practise them, still believe that they reflect the values and beliefs held by members of a family and/or a community, as they have been held for generations.

Examples of harmful practices include: forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and conversion ‘therapy’.

Working in Cheshire

We partnered with the  Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire to deliver a project that would allow for training of professionals to help them spot the signs of HBA and harmful practices and equip them with the right tools when working with those at risk.

At the heart of this is building new partnerships with organisations in Cheshire in order to raise awareness among professionals in the voluntary and statutory sector, in communities, and amongst the general public that these issues can affect anyone.

Ayesha, Savera UK Project Development Coordinator for Cheshire, said: “Since stepping into my role as Project Development Coordinator of the Cheshire Project, I have encountered numerous challenges, particularly the entrenched stereotypical views surrounding honour-based abuse (HBA) and harmful practices, and misconceptions about who might be at risk. 

I quickly realised that there was a significant lack of awareness and understanding among professionals, communities, and the general public. 

Shafilea Ahmed was one of the most high-profile cases of an ‘honour’ killing in the UK, that happened in the area, reminding us of the importance of our role in raising awareness and working collectively to end HBA & harmful practices, for Shafilea and anyone affected.”

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, Dan Price, said: “Seeing the number of referrals from Cheshire and hearing the impact Savera UK has had on those who experienced ‘honour’-based abuse, demonstrates the importance of needing this specialised service in our county. We’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this issue in Cheshire, but we’ve shown that help is available to those who need it.

“As we look to the future, I hope that we start to break the taboo of speaking out against these crimes that can often be hidden. With this in mind, I’m positive that we can begin to challenge the wider issue of ‘honour’-based abuse in the county, with the ambition of eventually removing it from our society as a whole.”

Frontline professionals in Cheshire can learn how to further improve responses to HBA and harmful practices including, forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) at our event on the 27th September.

HBA & HARMFUL PRACTICES HAPPEN HERE

Savera UK launches new signposting campaign in Cheshire

Savera UK has launched a new campaign in Cheshire to highlight the issue of ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) and harmful practices like female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage in the county.

The campaign is part of an ongoing partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, Dan Price. The joint initiative has seen Savera UK bring its direct intervention service to the county for the first time, providing safeguarding and advocacy for those at risk or under threat of HBA and harmful practices and follow-up empowerment and wellbeing programmes, as well as helping the professionals who work with them.

Since the launch of the partnership in April 2023, Savera UK has seen a 400% increase in HBA and harmful practice referrals from Cheshire, as well as growing demand from frontline professionals for help identifying and responding appropriately to cases. This highlights just how much the service is needed here.

Alongside its direct intervention service, Savera UK also delivers advice, education and campaigns that allow both professionals to recognise and respond to cases of HBA and harmful practices and raise awareness amongst the general public

Savera UK CEO and founder, Afrah Qassim, said: “Our work so far with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, as well as the significant increase in referrals from the county, has confirmed that HBA and Harmful Practices do indeed happen in Cheshire. It highlights that there is a vital need for Savera UK as a specialist service, which can advocate on behalf of those at risk and help survivors seek their ‘savera’ or ‘new beginning’, as well as providing advice to professionals working with them.

“The growth in referrals has far exceeded our original expectations, which reflects our experience of setting up the service in Merseyside 14 years ago. At the time people questioned the need for such a service because there was no data available to evidence its presence. However, through our direct intervention service, training and wider awareness campaigns to educate professionals and the general public on these issues, it soon became clear that it was lack of understanding and awareness that was allowing cases of HBA and harmful practices to be missed or inaccurately reported more generally as domestic abuse.

“There is power in knowing that these forms of abuse are present in Cheshire, as it means that we can educate and empower professionals to identify such cases, respond appropriately and bring in our specialist services to help survivors and those at risk to escape abuse and find their ‘savera’, which means ‘new beginning’.”

The campaign will feature the stories of HBA and harmful practice survivors, as well as local big screen and bus advertising highlighting the presence of these issues and signposting to help and digital resources, as well as sharing further information, survivor stories and informative content via its social media channels @SaveraUK, using the hashtags #HBAHappensHere and #HarmfulPracticesHappenHere.

There will also be a free training and networking event for professionals in the voluntary and statutory sector on Friday 27th September (12pm – 4pm) at Storyhouse in Chester.

The event, HBA and Harmful Practices Happen Here: Responding as a Frontline Professional, will see Savera UK, Deputy PCC for Cheshire, Gemma Southern, Savera UK Survivor Ambassador, Khatra Paterson, and the Forced Marriage Unit deliver a session highlighting the risk and indicators of HBA and harmful practices, examining past cases and exploring how to further improve response to these issues.

Afrah continued: “We are already working with a host of Cheshire-based services who, like us, are committed to ending HBA and harmful practices for good and we are particularly grateful for the ongoing partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, which helps us to continue this mission in the county. We hope that our event in September will help us to further expand that network and raise more awareness about these issues.”

Dan Price, Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire said: “The services offered by Savera UK in Cheshire are vital. The funding provided by the PCC helps those affected to know where they can get access to the support they need.”

For more information on the “HBA and Harmful Practices Happen Here” campaign, including resources and campaign materials and booking details for the event, visit: www.saverauk.co.uk/happens-here/ or contact [email protected]

You can contact our helpline 0800 107 0726 (10am – 4pm, Monday – Friday). If you are at immediate risk, please ring 999.

If you are a professional wishing to get advice or refer a case to Savera UK: www.saverauk.co.uk/professional-interventions/

If you are an individual who needs help or advice from Savera UK:

www.saverauk.co.uk/i-need-help/

Afrah Qassim, CEO and Founder of Savera UK and Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer

Cheshire PCC and Savera UK launch partnership

Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer has joined forces with Savera UK to support its work in providing life-saving services for those at risk of ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) and culturally specific abuse in Cheshire.

Through funding provided by the Commissioner, the charity has been able to employ a HBA and Harmful Practices Specialist Worker to join Savera UK 1-1 service team to provide direct intervention to survivors and those at risk or under threat of ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer, said: “I am delighted to be working with Savera UK, the direct intervention, safeguarding and advocacy that they provide to communities across Cheshire is vital. ‘Honour’-based abuse is often under-reported and can

Afrah Qassim, CEO and Founder of Savera UK and Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer
Afrah Qassim, CEO and Founder of Savera UK and CEO of Cheshire PCC Office, Damon Taylor

be referred to as a ‘hidden-crime’ because of this. By having Savera UK’s provision in our county, it may just give people the confidence they need to come forward and report their experiences.

“Protecting vulnerable and at-risk people is a priority in my Police and Crime Plan, and those at risk of ‘honour’-based abuse can be some of the most vulnerable in our society. I am looking forward to working alongside Savera UK to ensure survivors get the safeguarding and support that they need in order to rebuild their lives.”

As well as the direct intervention, safeguarding and advocacy that Savera UK provides to  survivors we will also be providing them with emotional support, an empowerment programme and assistance in gaining economic independence.

Savera UK also aims to tackle the causes of ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices by speaking out to challenge harmful attitudes, contributing to research and delivering training to raise awareness among professionals and in the wider community.

CEO and Founder of Savera UK, Afrah Qassim, said: “Partnerships are vital in our mission to eradicate ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices and we are proud to be working with the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner to tackle these issues in the county.

“Guiding and supporting people working on the frontline to better understand harmful practices, speak out against them, and provide appropriate help to survivors and those at risk enables us to reach more people who otherwise may not have found the confidence to seek help.

“Meeting the team to formally launch our partnership was a wonderful experience and its commitment to tackling these issues shone through. We look forward to working with Cheshire PCC in our united aims and making it clear that there is no excuse for abuse regardless of people’s beliefs.”

There are many signs of ‘honour’-based abuse and other harmful practices, indicators can include:

  • House arrest- being kept home with no choice of freedom or movement
  • Threats to kill- those who believe in HBA would like their loved one in the name of ‘honour’, so threats must be taken seriously
  • Being accompanied at all times by a family member- they may even speak on their behalf
  • Becoming withdrawn or displaying a change in behaviour
  • Family disputes
  • Presenting a fear of being taken abroad

John Dwyer added: “I want to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who is experiencing or witnessing ‘honour’-based abuse to speak out. Speaking out isn’t easy but it takes us step closer to eradicating harmful practices within our communities. Savera UK is there to help and support you, but I would like to remind the public that 999 should always be the first contact if there is an immediate risk.”

The Savera UK helpline is open weekdays 10am-4pm on 0800 107 0726, there are also online referral forms for individuals and professionals available in the “Get Help” section of the website.