Dishonour Abuse
Dishonour Abuse
Freedom Charity · Our language
Why we call it Dishonour Abuse
Abuse has no honour. Freedom uses “Dishonour Abuse” to place responsibility on the people who abuse, threaten and control others — not on the person they harm. We also use the recognised terms “honour”-based abuse and “honour-based violence” where needed for official guidance, the law and finding help.
Baroness Jenny Jones in Parliament ↓ Find a safe route to help
Find safe help and helpline information Help outside the UK and in other languages
It is a pattern
HBA can include threats, coercive control, assault, sexual abuse, financial abuse, forced marriage, FGM, virginity testing, abandonment, stalking and other crimes.
Risk can be collective
There may be several perpetrators, supporters or informants in a family or wider network, sometimes across borders.
No standalone offence
The label describes a context and pattern. The underlying conduct is prosecuted under the relevant criminal offences.
17 December 2025 · House of Lords
Baroness Jenny Jones names Freedom’s campaign
During the Crime and Policing Bill debate, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb said Freedom Charity had recently raised the language of so-called “honour”-based abuse with her. She repeated Freedom’s message in the House of Lords:
“There is no honour in abuse”.
Baroness Jones argued that the abuse should be called “dishonour abuse”. Her contribution placed Freedom’s terminology campaign in the parliamentary record. It was a contribution by an individual peer, not a decision by Parliament to change the name used in law or official guidance.
What it means
Control disguised as honour.
Dishonour Abuse can arise where a person is believed to have broken, or may break, family or community expectations. Triggers can include choosing a partner, refusing a marriage, ending a relationship, seeking divorce, pregnancy, sexuality, gender identity, dress, education, employment, friendships, leaving a faith, reporting abuse or simply seeking independence.
Abuse may be physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, economic or controlling. It can involve surveillance, imprisonment in the home, threats to kill, confiscation of passports, online monitoring, forced marriage, FGM, virginity testing, hymenoplasty, dowry abuse, abandonment overseas or threats concerning immigration status.
Not every case involves a family member and not every case is domestic abuse in the technical legal sense. The distinctive feature is the claimed connection between the abuse and perceived “honour”, shame or enforcement of family/community norms.
The law in 2026
Statutory definition and guidance
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 contains provisions for statutory guidance about “honour”-based abuse in England and Wales. Section 143 provides for guidance to public authorities and section 144 sets out the definition for that guidance. As at 24 September 2026, both sections are marked prospective in the official legislation record: they have been enacted but are not yet in force. The duty to have regard to guidance will apply to covered authorities when the provisions have commenced and guidance has been issued.
The definition covers abusive behaviour towards a family member or someone with a relevant connection where the perpetrator acts wholly or partly because they believe the victim has behaved, is behaving or may behave in a way that brings shame or dishonour. It also recognises that abuse can involve more than one perpetrator.
The Act does not create a new standalone criminal offence of HBA. Assault, coercive control, threats, sexual offences, stalking, forced marriage, FGM and other conduct continue to be prosecuted under the criminal law that applies to the facts.
The forthcoming statutory guidance is intended to support consistent identification, risk assessment, information sharing and multi-agency working across policing, health, education, social care and other public bodies. Public authorities covered by the provision will be required to have regard to it when exercising relevant functions.
CPS 2026
Harmful practices now recognised more clearly
The CPS strengthened its prosecution guidance in February 2026. It now expressly addresses areas including dowry abuse, immigration-related exploitation, transnational marriage abandonment, spiritual or ritualistic abuse, virginity testing and hymenoplasty, alongside forced marriage and FGM.
In September 2026, the CPS responded to the first part of an inspectorate review of its HBA casework and said it was continuing work on prosecutor training, HBA leads, case flagging, data quality, victim communication and trauma-informed, suspect-focused case building.
What this means in practice
By profession
Police
Look beyond the presenting offence. Identify connected suspects, family networks, digital surveillance, travel risk, prior incidents and other potential victims. Use specialist HBA/forced-marriage expertise and consider protective orders early.
Social workers
Map the wider family and community risk, consider siblings and adults at risk, avoid family mediation, plan information sharing carefully and work with police, health and education.
Teachers & DSLs
Do not automatically contact parents following a disclosure. Consider whether the family may be part of the risk. Record the young person’s own words and escalate through safeguarding routes.
Health professionals
See patients alone where possible, use independent interpreters, consider FGM, forced marriage, sexual violence, virginity-testing pressure and reproductive control, and follow safeguarding duties.
Universities
Adult students can still face severe family control, financial abuse, threats of withdrawal, forced travel or marriage. Student-support systems should recognise HBA rather than treating it as a private family dispute.
Prosecutors & lawyers
Consider the whole pattern, evidence beyond the victim’s testimony, multiple defendants, special measures, protective orders, anonymity and the risk created by family pressure.
Employers
Unexpected absence, surveillance at work, loss of wages or family members attending the workplace can be relevant. Follow safeguarding and security procedures rather than confronting relatives.
Faith leaders
Reject coercion and violence. Do not attempt confidential “reconciliation” where it may expose the victim to further danger.
Journalists
Use the established term for search and official context, but avoid romanticising or exoticising the abuse. Check whether anonymity restrictions apply in the underlying offence.
Young people & students
Family or community pressure can still be abuse even when no one has used physical violence. Seek help early if you are being monitored, threatened, isolated or pressured about marriage, relationships, sexuality, dress, study or travel.
MPs & policymakers
Read the prospective statutory definition alongside current CPS and government guidance, recognise multiple-perpetrator and cross-border risk, and avoid treating police-recorded cases as a full measure of prevalence.
Prosecution
How cases reach court
There is no single HBA charge. Prosecutors identify the substantive offences and consider the HBA context. CPS guidance requires relevant cases to be flagged so the pattern is not lost if individual charges change. Forced-marriage cases receive an additional forced-marriage flag.
Evidence can include messages, call records, travel bookings, financial records, CCTV, medical evidence, previous incidents, witness accounts, threats, location data, digital surveillance and statements by multiple family members. Where a victim is unable or afraid to support a prosecution, police and CPS may consider whether the case can be built using other evidence.
Protective measures can include FMPOs, FGMPOs, restraining orders and other civil or criminal orders depending on the risk and jurisdiction.
Forced marriage: offences and protection orders FGM: offences and protection orders
Freedom’s terminology
Words matter.
Freedom uses “Dishonour Abuse” because violence, coercion and control do not protect honour. The wording places moral responsibility on the abuse rather than giving the perpetrator’s justification legitimacy.
Freedom does not hide the recognised search language. “Honour-based abuse”, “honour-based violence” and HBA remain widely used by government, police, prosecutors, universities, journalists and the public. They are therefore used on this page where necessary so a person searching for help still reaches accurate information.
Freedom’s record
What Freedom has done
Freedom’s public record on this issue stretches back well before the 2026 statutory definition.
- 2013 Parliamentary evidence: on 20 June 2013, Aneeta Prem explained Freedom’s use of “dishonour violence” and “dishonour crime” to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee. Read the parliamentary evidence.
- Forced marriage and FGM work: Freedom’s core programmes address two practices commonly treated by government and CPS guidance as forms of HBA.
- Books and education: But It’s Not Fair and Cut Flowers, together with school resources, help young people and professionals understand coercion and harmful practices.
- Policy evidence: Freedom has submitted evidence to Parliament on so-called honour-based abuse, forced marriage, FGM and related harms.
- 17 December 2025, House of Lords: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb named Freedom Charity, quoted its message “There is no honour in abuse” and argued for the term “dishonour abuse”. Read the official debate.
- Dishonour Abuse campaign: Freedom developed the terminology into a public policy campaign. On 4 March 2026 the House of Lords recorded Freedom’s campaign to use “dishonour abuse”. This records a parliamentary reference to the campaign, not adoption of Freedom’s preferred term into law.
- Professional awareness: Freedom trains and briefs professionals on risk, warning signs, safer responses and why family mediation can be dangerous.
FAQs
Questions people ask
Is “honour-based abuse” a specific offence?
No. It describes a context and pattern; the underlying behaviour is prosecuted under the relevant offence.
Can several relatives be involved?
Yes. Multiple-perpetrator and wider-network risk is a recognised feature of some cases.
Why is family mediation dangerous?
Because family or community members may be part of the risk, may alert perpetrators or may accelerate plans to isolate, harm or remove the victim.
Why does Freedom use another term?
To make clear that the abuse itself is dishonourable while retaining official terminology for discoverability and legal accuracy.
Authoritative sources
Crime and Policing Act 2026, s143 · s144 definition · CPS prosecution guidance (February 2026) · CPS response to September 2026 inspection · 2013 Parliamentary evidence · March 2026 Hansard · December 2025 Hansard: Baroness Jones
Legal and source information reviewed 24 September 2026. UK law and safeguarding responsibilities vary by jurisdiction; this page does not replace case-specific advice.
About Freedom
Why Freedom Charity
Freedom Charity was co-founded in 2009 by Aneeta Prem MBE and Lord Toby Harris. Its work brings together safeguarding, education, public awareness, professional training, books, technology, campaigning and policy engagement around forced marriage, female genital mutilation and related forms of abuse.
Freedom does not replace the police, social care, the NHS, courts, the Forced Marriage Unit or legal advice. Its role is to help people recognise risk, understand the issues, find safer routes to help and strengthen prevention.
Our documented historyEvidence & ImpactFor professionalsSupport Freedom’s safeguarding work