Forced marriage and honour crimes reported in Dudley
Five incidents of forced marriage and honour-based crimes were reported in Dudley – with chiefs warning of the possible deadly consequences of such cases.
Members of Dudley Council’s overview and scrutiny management board are to scrutinise how the council can help prevent people being forced to marry unwanted partners or being victimised for bringing ‘shame on families.
Between July and October last year, council officers say they received referrals for two cases where forced marriage was identified, and three where honour-based abuse was reported.
Mark Rodgers, director of housing for Dudley, in his report, said: “Practices such as forced marriage and so-called honour-based abuse are extreme forms of violence against individuals, and are deeply harmful, both physically and psychologically, victims are not confined to one gender or ethnic group.
“The punishment for bringing dishonour can be emotional abuse, physical abuse, family dis-ownment and in some cases even murder.
“In most honour-based abuse cases there are multiple perpetrators from the immediate family, sometimes the extended family and occasionally the community at large.”
He added: “Honour-based abuse will often go hand-in-hand with forced marriages, although this is not always the case.”
The report emphasises the problem effects many groups including people from black and minority ethnic communities but also lesbian, gay, bisexual and disabled people.
But it adds: “However, some communities may be more likely to engage in these practices than others and this needs to be borne in mind when planning and delivering work and services.”
A Home Office report published last year showed its Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support in 1,764 cases nationally during 2018, a 47 per cent increase on 2017. Of those, 205 victims were from the West Midlands.
Figures show the vast majority of people forced into unwanted marriages were women aged under 25 but can also include men who don’t give their consent.
