Revealed: girl aged six among victims of ‘honour crime’ in London
by David Churchill, London Evening Standard:
Children younger than 10 are among hundreds of suspected forced marriage and “honour” crime victims in London.
The tally, in police statistics obtained by the Standard, paints a detailed picture of the scale of so-called “honour” crimes in the capital, the range of violence inflicted and the backgrounds of victims and their abusers.
It can be revealed that reports of “honour” violence soared more than 40 per cent over the past five years, with 1,081 made to Scotland Yard. Those relating to forced marriages doubled in the same period, with 367 in total.
Women and girls overwhelmingly form the majority of reported victims, with more than half coming from Asian backgrounds. Dozens of rapes and other sexual crimes were reported as well as knives and guns being involved in more than 70 incidents.
Politicians and charity leaders today called the findings “troubling”, “shocking” and “abhorrent”. Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chair of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “Too many of these awful crimes are still hidden. There is no ‘honour’ in violence against women, rape, torture or abuse of a family member.
“These are deadly crimes and there is still too little protection, too few prosecutions and too much stigma which prevents people coming forward.
“It’s vital that when victims do speak out they get proper help from support groups and from the police to keep them safe.”
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