Lockdown fears for BAME honour crime victims as charity sees 200% surge in calls

Leeds-based Karma Nirvana says it has seen a 200 per cent surge in calls in less than three weeks in April, with many victims being told by families that they will be sent abroad to marry once travel restrictions are lifted.

Some victims may even be married over Skype or online, the charity says.

Girls subjected to honour-based abuse and forced marriage also have fewer places to turn to under the current Government restrictions.

But despite the increase in calls and increased awareness of domestic abuse, Karma Nirvana says that not enough has been done to raise awareness of the increased vulnerability of BAME groups and heightened risks of honour-based crimes during lockdown.

Victims of these types of crime are particularly at risk during lockdown, the charity has also said, as perpetrators can be multiple family members and even extended members of the community, as opposed to just one partner in many domestic abuse cases.

Natasha Rattu, the charity's CEO, said: "In the first week of lockdown, we actually saw a drop in calls. But between April 6 an April 24 we actually saw the number of calls increase by 200 per cent.

"We are seeing a big rise in victims calling themselves - normally, around 40 per cent of our calls are from police and teachers and the like, calling on behalf of victims. We are also seeing a rise in calls from social workers, as schools are now closed.

"People are feeling more desperate now. As it is currently Ramadan and travel restrictions are in place, there are fewer weddings taking place. But there will be planning involved and many people who call us are being told by their families that once lockdown is over, they will be put on a plane and sent abroad to marry.

"It is not uncommon for some people to be married over Skype and online, too."

"There is a lot of fear and anxiety."

Since lockdown began, the charity has seen 47 new victims of forced marriage (either threatened, or fleeing forced marriages), 24 new victims of death threats and six new females who were concealing pregnancies from families out of fears for their safety.

West Yorkshire in particular has been identified as having some of the highest numbers of forced marriage reports and honour-based violence and abuse, with the county last year overtaking the Metropolitan Police for such crimes.

Many women's refuges are currently not taking in any more people, or people outside the community, due to social distancing rules and infection control, meaning there are fewer places for victims to turn.

Ms Rattu added: "We had one lady in the past week who has been in a refuge for the past year, but was being kept in the same area. She was actually found by her husband and was stabbed and had to go to hospital.

One small benefit of the current health crisis however was that pregnant women are having to attend medical appointments alone to control infections spreading, meaning more victims can report abuse to nurses and hospital staff.

Ms Rattu added: “Even though we have seen an increase in calls, I do think what we are seeing is only a very small percentage of the actual numbers of victims. We are also expecting these to further increase once the restrictions are lifted.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Honour-based abuse, forced marriage and FGM are absolutely devastating crimes, and we have continued to help victims and raise awareness through the #YouAreNotAlone campaign, pointing people to the Karma Nirvana helpline and also providing the organisation with funding.

“The joint Home Office and Foreign Office Forced Marriage Unit is also providing advice and support for potential forced marriage victims during this difficult time.