LAUSR

Abstract Honour-based violence is fundamentally different to domestic violence or other forms of violence against women. Honour-based crimes are violent crimes or other forms of abuse that are carried out in order to protect the so-called ‘honour’ of a family or community. The code of ‘honour’ to which it refers is set by the male relatives of a family, and women who break the rules of the code are punished for bringing shame upon the family. Violence against women and girls includes domestic abuse, rape and sexual offences, human trafficking, female genital mutilation, forced prostitution, child abuse and pornography. It also includes honour-based violence and forced marriage that go hand in hand. Honour-based killings are seen as the most extreme form of honour-based violence, however the degree of abuse and violence that women may be subjected to even without or before being killed can be extreme.