Boys as hidden, silent victims of honor based violence

Boys as hidden, silent victims of honor based violence Honour and conflict – the role of boys LOKK -Landsorganisation af KvindeKrisecentre Denmark 17 November 2011 Dr Angela Morgan and John Thain School of Health and Wellbeing University of Wolverhampton, UK

School of Health and Wellbeing at Wolverhampton and Walsall

Dr Angela Morgan Background • 8 years social policy research • Domestic violence • Children and vulnerable people • DAPHNE – EU Comparative: Counselling for victims of domestic violence • DAPHNE – Honour related violence (Shields and Almaeuropa)

John Thain Background • Experienced in Children’s Nursing and Child Protection • Contributed to national and local policy development • Research interests in several aspects of child protection and safeguarding work • DAPHNE project on HRV

Boys as hidden, silent victims of honor based violence

• • • • • • •

Background context within the UK Discourses on HBV Policy initiatives within the UK So what’s it got to do with boys? Potential impact of HRV on boys Problems - Discussion points Terminology

Love, honour and obey - or die! “For many young Asian women in Britain marriage means abuse, and even death to satisfy 'family honour'. This domestic terror, inflicted by husbands, parents and other relatives, has long been submerged. But now, as the taboo subject comes out in the open, will thousands of wives have safer lives?” Jason Burke (2000) The Observer http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/oct/08/jasonburke.theobserver

Background on HRV in the UK • United Nations estimates that every year 5,000 women are victims of honour-killings internationally • Globally majority of victims are female • Approximately 7% of victims are male • Numbers are suggested to be rising • Despite such evidence most are at best ‘informed’ guesstimates • Lack of a consistent definition which leads to a lack of clarity in defining: • • • • • •

Culturally imbued violence which is collusive Violence which is culturally linked to religious ideology Domestic violence (and femicide) Forced marriage and relationships Other forms of violence (including Female Genital Mutilation and circumcision) Invention of ‘honour’ related violence as a westernised rationalisation of cultural patterns of behaviour

Background on HRV in the UK • In 2009, the London Metropolitan Police Forced Marriage Unit provided support to victims in the UK and overseas in 377 cases • 1000 young people forced into marriage per year in the UK however a recent, large study reports up to 4000 cases per year • Number of children ‘disappear’ in communities where forced marriage is problematic • In the UK 85% of victims of forced marriages are women • • •

Between 15-24 years of age 90% are Muslim 90% are of Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage

• Mix of cases is problematic • • • •

UK born with other cultural heritage Non UK born but resident Immigration and asylum seeking groups Illegal entrants

HRV in the UK 15-year-old Muslim schoolgirl Tulay Goren from the Kurdish region of Turkey, was drugged, tortured and then killed by her father Mehmet Goren because of her relationship with an older man Caneze Riaz and her daughters Sayrah, Sophia Riaz, Alicia and Hannah died when after their father started a fire at the family home because he refused to accept their westernised ways. Azhar Nazir, 30, and his cousin, used four knives to slit Samaira Nazir’s throat, repeatedly stabbing because she had fallen in love with an asylum-seeker who they considered to be from an unsuitable caste

What’s different for boys? • Boys are certainly subjected to (Honour Related) Violence • Argued not to the same extent as girls although exact data unavailable in the UK • Dissonant state in that males are deemed violent/perpetrators whilst being a silent, marginalised group

HRV in the UK Such cases have led to a range of debates in the UK • • • • • •

Media outrage – 5 minutes of fame or infamy! Pressure on government to lead on the issue Inflamed the racism agenda Labelling of ‘honour’ violence/killing Gender violence It’s Domestic Violence = It’s not Domestic Violence

HRV in the UK • Some took a more pragmatic approach with a Metropolitan Police Commander stating that ‘murder is a murder’ and often, in the matter of honour killings, multiculturalism too often became an excuse for ‘moral blindness’. • A case of enlightenment also started to emerge which questioned not only race but gender inequality and the collective role of gender • Can we determine what is honour related violence – is it just about culture (blackness/difference) and family?

Main policy initiatives in the UK
Protection from Harassment Act 1997
Forced Marriage Act 2007
Association of Chief Police Officers: Honour Based Violence Strategy 2008
Violence Against Women and Children Strategy 2010

Impact of these imperatives in the UK
Honour related violence on the agenda!
Role of NGOs in supporting victims
Searching for HRV…..
Public interest increased - often mediated through internet sites (e.g. YouTube)
Girls and women ethnicised and concomitantly considered at risk

So what’s it got to do with boys?

Trajectory of interest and research • Honour related violence is a cross cultural and transhistorical issue • Anthropologists have long been studying cultural practices, rituals and rites • Many practices predate religions thus links with these are tenuous (even an excuse) • Has become an ‘issue’ for many societies • Identification of, and attitude toward, HRV follows other forms of violence • Explanatory frameworks focused on patriarchy and male mediated violence

Western and male ideology is pervasive and has resulted in a range of assumptions about men and boys

So what’s it got to do with boys? o Men and boys are clearly subjected to: o Physical abuse o Sexual abuse o Domestic violence o Prostitution and sexual exploitation o Rape o Trafficking o Child soldiers

So what’s it got to do with boys? There may be some differential impacts on boys • Research on men’s experiences suggests that male victims of assault tend to regard their victimisation as ‘weak and helpless’. • Men’s ability to admit to and recover from their abuse is hindered by male stoicism and stereotypical views among service providers of men as aggressors and women as victims

What’s different for boys? • Through forced marriages and relationships • Boys can also suffer in this system of oppression having to overtly and covertly control or subjugate female relatives • Younger male members of a family may be required to commit threats, punishment, violence and murder to keep the family honour intact and maintain the patriarchal status • Boys might be used to avoid punishment since they are minors. • Refusing to do their ‘duty’ or undertake their rightful ‘role’ can result in repercussions from the family/community • For homosexuality, threat and psychological violence is common

Discourse around boys and HRV An image of socialisation in which many boys look to their fathers as role models In many countries and in many cultures, these male role models result in social development, and transition from boy to man, that is non-violent But what of ‘honour’ cultures…?

What’s different for boys? Are boys hostage to culturally mediated systems of violence?

The hidden and invisible Does a young perpetrator feel…: Angry, aggressive, intent to harm, hatred, violent, murderous Or does he feel…: Coercion, fear, alarm, dilemma, love, force

The hidden and invisible The dissonance in establishing a particular ‘boy’ identity is: a. Fluid b. Related to a situational context c. Within a framework of social and cultural norms d. Reproducing patriarchy and sense of accountability

The hidden and invisible

Perpetrator

Some evidence Etic accounts

Within a discourse of control

Unknown Emic

Victim

Awareness Etic/Emic accounts

The hidden and invisible Boys as hostages? Captive Isolation of captive and indoctrination Captor threatens Captor shows some affiliation with the captive Identification with the captor

Problems and outcomes • Tensions between Human Rights Act and protection • Increasing social mobility • Fundamentalism • What aspects of HRV are we yet to discover – escalation, underground, globalisation • Impacts on health and wellbeing

Problems and outcomes • Disclosure of coercion/abuse/honour • Safety, confidentiality and risk assessment • Impact on: o o o o o

Relationships and attachments School and education Sexuality and masculinity Later employment Life/death

• Criminal justice processes

The way forward? • Early intervention • The school setting is one of the fundamental arenas for addressing issues related to HRV • School is the first point of contact for many girls and boys seeking support • Schools need to be aware of how to approach this complex issue in a highly sensitive, but correct, way

The way forward? • Embedding real children’s rights • Enabling recognition of interpersonal violence • Where to go for help? • Sharing best practice and evidence • In-depth research with boys and men • Robust evaluative studies • Involving men/boys in addressing HRV

Concluding points • Relatively unexplored field in the UK • Need to find the experiences of boys and young men who may be forced against their will into perpetrating vicious, violent, and often fatal acts on their female relatives • Is there an ‘honour’ outside of honour related violence – shifting identities? • What are agencies doing about this? • How community leaders experience the problems • Boys aren’t just perpetrators – needs deeper understanding and wider social change

We would welcome any questions or comments

Vi modtager gerne eventuelle spørgsmål eller kommentarer

Thank you for listening and we would welcome any feedback or comments We are also interested in developing research and projects so please do contact us! Tak for at lytte, og vi ville gerne feedback eller kommentarer Vi er også interesseret i at udvikle forskning og projekter, så bedes du kontakte os!

Boys as hidden, silent victims of honor based violence Dr Angela Morgan Senior Researcher  00441902 322455  [email protected]

John Thain Senior Lecturer  00441902 518849  [email protected] School of Health and Wellbeing University of Wolverhampton, UK

References Anitha, S and Gill, A (2009) Coercion, Consent and the Forced Marriage Debate in the UK. Feminist Legal Studies, 17:165–184 Chesler, P. (2010) Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings. Middle East Quarterly. 17(2) Faqir, F (2001) Intrafamily femicide in defence of honour: the case of Jordan. Third World Quarterly, 22(1):65–82 Gill, A. (2006) Patriarchal Violence in the Name of ‘Honour. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences. 1(1):1-12 Gilmore, D.D. (1990). Manhood in the making. New Haven: Yale University Press Khan, R (2007) Honour Related Violence (HRV) in Scotland: A Cross and Multi-Agency Intervention Involvement Survey. Internet Journal of Criminology. Available at: http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Khan%20-%20Honour- Related%20Violence.pdf

References Kurkiala, M (2003) Interpreting Honour Killings. Anthropology Today. 19(1): 6-7. Leung, A. K. and Cohen, D. (2011) Within- and Between-Culture Variation: Individual Differences and the Cultural Logics of Honor, Face, and Dignity Cultures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 100( 3): 507–526. Narayani, B (2003) Honour, Violence and Conflicting Narratives: A Study of Myth and Reality. New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies. 5(1):5-23. Nasrullah, M., Haqq, S., Cumming, K.J. (2009) The epidemiological patterns of honour killing of women in Pakistan. European Journal of Public Health. 19(2), 193–197. Ouis, P (2009) Honourable Traditions? Honour Violence, Early Marriage and Sexual Abuse of Teenage Girls in Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Yemen. International Journal of Children’s Rights. 17: 445–474. Plummer , D. and Geofroy , S. (2010) When Bad is Cool: Violence and Crime as Rites of Passage to Manhood. Caribbean Review of Gender Studies. 4:1-17

References Reddy, R. (2008) Gender, Culture and the Law: Approaches to ‘Honour Crimes’ in the UK. Fem Leg Stud. 16:305–321. Ruane, R.A. (2000) Murder in the Name of Honor: Violence Against Women in Jordan and Pakistan. Emery International Law Review. 14:1523-1580 Schraiber, LM., Flávia, A., D’Oliveira, PL., Couto, M. (2006) Violence and health: recent scientific studies. Rev Saúde Pública. 40:2-9 Shoemaker, R (2001) Male honour and the decline of public violence in eighteenth-century London. Social History. 26(2):190-208. UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) (2000) The State of the World Population: Chapter 3 Ending Violence Against Women and Girls. Geneva: UNPF.