Halo Project: Forced marriage and Honour-Based Violence Charity

The Halo Project Charity is a national project that will support victims of honour-based violence, forced marriages and FGM by providing appropriate advice and support to victims. We will also work with key partners to provide required interventions and advice necessary for the protection and safety of victims.

Nationally there are approximately 12 reported honour killings per year in the United Kingdom. This does not take into account the many people who are taken abroad who do not return and their whereabouts are unknown. This also does not take into account the local school children that are taken abroad for the purpose of marriage and those suffering serious abuse at the hands of their closest family.

Consideration must also be given to other offences e.g. threatening behaviour, assault, rape, kidnap, abduction, forced abortion, threats to kill and false imprisonment committed due to so called ‘honour’.

National statistics show that South Asian females under the age of 24 are 2 to 3 times more likely to commit suicide than their Caucasian counterparts. In the UK there have been a number of female suicides normally by fire and also murders of South Asian women and children as they have brought “shame” or “dishonour” to the family by not conforming to what the family believes is the correct code of behaviour.

Female Genital Mutilation has been a criminal offence in the UK since 1985, and is categorised into 4 different types and yet this horrific form of child abuse is allowed to flourish. The silence surrounding this horrific practice is allowing it to continue and we offer support to the victims and are passionate about educating those in the community, where change ultimately has to come from to end the practice of FGM.

To date there have been (figure) reports of FGM and we believe by working together and educating the communities while offering training and raising awareness to safeguarding agencies we can start to eradicate FGM.