CPS issues new guidance on ‘honour’-based and dowry abuse
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published new guidance for its lawyers to help tackle “honour”-based abuse, with spiritual and immigration abuse included for the first time.The guidance was updated to reflect growing concerns around evolving forms of abuse and to tackle what the CPS described as “emerging harmful practices”.It is provided to prosecutors considering criminal cases, and now covers dowry abuse, immigration-related exploitation and transnational marriage abandonment.In a form of domestic abuse, perpetrators may exploit a person’s immigration status to control and entrap them.The perpetrators can do this by threatening them with being deported or reported to the authorities, withholding vital documents, controlling finances or restricting access to support services.
The guidance also covers transnational marriage abandonment, where a spouse is deliberately taken abroad and left there without the resources to return to the UK.While not a standalone offence, prosecutors have been urged to use domestic abuse and coercive or controlling behaviour guidance when seeking to prosecute these cases.Selma Taha, the executive director of Southall Black Sisters, said: “The explicit recognition of dowry-related abuse and immigration-related exploitation is critical.These are patterns we see routinely in our frontline work with Black, minoritised and migrant women, yet they are too often overlooked.“That is why it matters that this guidance has been shaped through consultation with specialist ‘by and for’ organisations such as ours, grounded in frontline expertise.
The real test now is action.“It must deliver measurable improvements in safeguarding for victim-survivors and ensure real accountability for perpetrators, through sustained partnership with specialist services and a whole-system commitment to tackling the root causes of violence against women and girls.”Prosecutors have also been given guidance on virginity testing and hymenoplasty, after the government banned both practices under the Health and Care Act 2022.The CPS has also set out advice on spiritual or ritualistic abuse linked to beliefs in witchcraft, spirit possession or demonic influence.Criminal cases linked to spiritual abuse can include violent exorcisms, beatings, starvation or forced ingestion of harmful substances, scapegoating children or vulnerable adults for misfortune, and even homicide.
Cases may also feature extreme psychological, emotional, financial or sexual abuse, and victims can include children, adults and vulnerable adults.While there is no specific offence of “honour”-based abuse, the government has announced plans to legally define it, in an attempt to bring about a more consistent approach to cases, foster a better understanding of trends, and signpost victims to support.The CPS defines “so-called honour-based abuse” as an incident or crime involving violence, threats of violence, intimidation, coercion or abuse that has or may have been committed to protect or defend the “honour” of an individual, family or community.Ellie Reeves, the solicitor general, said: “This government is on a mission to halve violence against women and girls, and I am determined to make our justice system work for all victims.“That’s why I’m proud to welcome the CPS’s strengthened guidance, which gives prosecutors the tools they need to recognise patterns of abuse and build robust cases to ensure perpetrators are punished and victims are protected from harm.
”Baljit Ubhey, the director of policy at the CPS, said: “‘Honour’-based abuse in all its forms is a serious crime, and it has no place in our society.Victims often endure immense pressure, fear and coercive control from those closest to them, which can make seeking help incredibly difficult.“Our updated guidance equips prosecutors to identify emerging patterns of abuse, understand the wider context in which it occurs and take swift, effective action to safeguard victims and bring perpetrators to justice.”In November, the CPS launched its five-year violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy, training its staff to recognise and respond to evolving forms of abuse and to protect those at greatest risk.Data from the organisation found a significant overlap in crime types relating to violence against women and girls, with 93.
5% of charges of “honour” crimes linked to domestic abuse,
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