PROSECUTING HONOUR BASED VIOLENCE The need for a multi-agency approach

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PROSECUTING HONOUR BASED VIOLENCEThe need for a
multi-agency approach
11th June 2009
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THE CONTEXT

• CPS/Police National Conference
• DV Project/Violence against Women strategy
• UK response/statutory agencies
• International response

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NOTABLE FACTS

• One in 10 young Asians said that they could
  justify the murder of someone who had supposedly
  dishonoured their family (BBC Survey September
  2006).
• ACPO estimate that the incidents of HBV and FM
  are 35 times those reported at least 17,000
  attacks a year
• More than a dozen women are killed every year in
  this country in the name of honour but they are
  only part of thousands that are killed for the
  same reasons across the world.
• Murdered because
• She wanted to learn to drive
• She wanted to leave her husband who had beaten
  her
• She wanted to report child abuse by a relative
• Her brothers friend had an innocent picture of
  her on his mobile phone
• She was the victim of rape

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THE REALITY

• Murder is but the tip of the iceberg when we
  consider the number of women that commit suicide,
  the number of sexual offences, abductions,
  assaults, false imprisonments, and forced
  marriages that are carried out in the name of
  honour
• Suicide and self harm hidden victims?
• Missing children in education

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SOME CASES

• Samaira Nazir
• The investigation and prosecution/witness care
• The consequences/impact
• Alisha Begum
• The prosecution
• International co-operation
• Sajhda Bibi
• International co-operation
• Dosanjh
• The plan
• The investigation/prosecution
• Benaz Mahmod
• Organised execution?
• Surjit Athwal

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SOME CASES

• Arash Ghorbani-Zarin
• The hitman
• The sentence
• Iraqi Case
• The need for community intervention
• B the Egyptian case
• A link with radicalism/extremism?
• HAMPSHIRE MARITAL RAPE special measures for
  victims
• West Yorkshire DVCV 2004 prosecution

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WHAT ARE WE DOING?

• Prosecuting with the full force of the law those
  that harm others in the name of honour
• Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004
• Multi-Agency approaches to prevention missing
  children
• Dialogue with communities especially children
• The need for a centre of excellence to build
  capacity amongst NGOs and Statutory Agencies

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DIFFICULTIES WE HAVE EXPERIENCED

• Lack of support/co-operation for prosecution
• Lack of knowledge, experience of investigators
  and prosecutors
• Shortage of experts
• Community priorities

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ADDRESSING DIFFICULTIES

• Continuing to raise public awareness
• Training of prosecutors and investigators on
  issues over and above domestic violence
  Flagging of cases, using all investigative tools,
  robust prosecutions the CPS project
• Increasing the cadre of experts
• Better witness/victim care
• Multi-agency training to address knowledge gaps

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WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY

• Acknowledging that the silent majority ignores
  violence against women
• Supporting those involved in the protection of
  women from violence
• Challenging and confronting views which may not
  be openly expressed

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• Nazir Afzal OBE
• Director
• CPS London West
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email Nazir.Afzal_at_cps.gsi.gov.uk