The tragic murder of a Warrington teenager, killed by her parents in front of her siblings, ‘serves as a constant reminder’ of honour-based abuse charity Savera UK has said.
Shafilea Ahmed was murdered by her own parents at the family’s home in Great Sankey, Cheshire, in 2003. The 17-year-old was killed for refusing a forced marriage to her cousin in Pakistan and becoming "too westernised", in the eyes of her family and community.
The aspiring solicitor was suffocated to death after having a plastic bag forced down her throat, with her body discovered in the Lake District five months later, 70 miles away from her home. In 2012, her mum and dad Farzana and Iftikhar Ahmed were convicted of her murder and each jailed for a minimum of 25 years.
The Merseyside-based charity has spoken out after experiencing a year-on-year increase in HBA referrals. Between March 2021 - 2022, it received 136 new referrals concerned with HBA, which in effect is almost 5% of the national recorded total.
The charity warned that while HBA and harmful practices in the UK may be “hidden” it doesn’t mean it doesn’t take place in the country.
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Savera UK CEO and founder, Afrah Qassim, told the ECHO: “Honour’-based abuse and harmful practices in the UK are so hidden that many feel ‘it can’t happen here’. The additional challenge of having limited data adds to this misconception, making it difficult to recognise the scale of these practices. In reality, they continue to take place across the UK and right here in Merseyside and Cheshire.
"Tragically, it’s often only when the most serious cases come to light that the public is starkly reminded of the life-threatening dangers for those at risk. One case which serves as a constant reminder of the prevalence of these issues, is the death of Warrington teenager Shafilea Ahmed. “
The Great Sankey High School and Priestley College student is just one of the many victims of ‘honour’-based killings and abuse. An estimated 12 to 15 ‘honour’ killings take place each year in the UK, yet, Savera UK, argue that “specific focus and funding to support survivors and those at risk, and to tackle the specific issues of HBA and harmful practices is woefully lacking”.
Afrah Qassim said: “Despite Shafilea reporting her fear of risk and threats of forced marriage to social services and being a patient for three months at a hospital in Warrington after drinking bleach, no investigation or referral for Shafilea was ever made. Her death reminds us why it is vital to continue raising awareness of these practices, which are often disguised by perpetrators as being a part of ‘culture’ or ‘religion’. HBA and harmful practices are simply violations of human rights, and not a part of any culture or religion.”
The Home Office’s recently released data surrounding HBA showed a 6% increase from the previous year in HBA offences. In the year ending March 2022, there were 2,887 HBA-related offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, whereas in the year ending March 2021, there were 2,725 offences. This marks a second consecutive rise in HBA-related offences and of the offences recorded, 77 were cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) and 141 were forced marriage offences.
Speaking of the latest data, Afrah Qassim, added: “Although the 6% increase in HBA-related offences is less than last year’s 18% rise, it is still concerning. Not only is any increase in offences that constitute an abuse of human rights unacceptable, but we also believe that these figures still only reveal the tip of the iceberg.
"The true prevalence of HBA and harmful practices in the UK are unknown due to the limited data recorded, which makes it very difficult to understand the scale of the problem. While the data from the Home Office is useful, there is still no central database that specialist organisations tackling HBA and harmful practices - like Savera UK - can contribute to, so we know there are gaps in the data.
“Greater awareness of the issues, the ability for police and professionals to identify and deal with them appropriately and greater confidence amongst individuals to reach out for help are all positive developments, but if we don’t have a true understanding of the scale of the problem, how can we know the impact and what more needs to be done?
Savera UK said that the increase in referrals to them is not to say that Merseyside and the North West have a higher prevalence of HBA-related offences, but “rather it reflects the work that has been done historically in the region around HBA, the establishment of clear safeguarding and referral processes involving police, healthcare and other professionals and voluntary sector organisations”.
Savera UK have a national helpline on 0800 107 0726, which is open weekdays 10 am-4 pm for those who need it.
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