Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Domestic Abuse

Wednesday 7 February 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Kim Johnson asked about the lack of a statutory definition for honour-based abuse, citing concerns from Savera UK and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.
  • The Government responded, stating they meet the Domestic Abuse Commissioner regularly and are proud of the forced marriage unit's work.
  • Michael Fabricant inquired about the timeline for legislation to ban conversion therapy, to which the response was that a draft Bill would be published in due course.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kim Johnson Lab Liverpool Riverside
Women & Equalities
Context

Savera UK, an organisation based in Liverpool Riverside constituency, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner are concerned about the lack of a statutory definition for honour-based abuse, leading to under-reporting.

Question

I have been informed by Savera UK, which is based in my constituency, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner that this Government has failed to provide a statutory definition of so-called honour-based abuse. They are concerned that without such a definition, there will be under-reporting and a lack of detail on the scale of the problem.

Answer from Laura Farris

The Government take the opposite view. They use the expression honour-based abuse, which has been controversial in itself, because often victims understand it the best. Victims of honour-based abuse are often the hardest to reach and sometimes are the least able to articulate their claims and to escape their circumstance. The Government keep the definition wide to capture successfully all the various insidious forms that it takes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific concern about under-reporting due to lack of statutory definition was not addressed directly.

How: Opposite View, Controversial

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Q2 Kim Johnson Lab Liverpool Riverside
Women & Equalities
Context

The question follows a discussion on steps taken to tackle honour-based abuse, focusing on the lack of statutory definition.

Question

I have been informed by Savera UK, which is based in my constituency, that this Government has failed to provide a statutory definition of so-called honour-based abuse. They are concerned about under-reporting and lack of detail on the scale of the problem.

Answer from Laura Farris

I meet the Domestic Abuse Commissioner regularly, our last joint visit was to a refuge for minoritised women where honour-based abuse was an issue. The Home Office looks at specific harms connected with this and is proud of its forced marriage unit which has provided support services to more than 300 cases in the past year. A national honour-based abuse helpline, funded by the Government, has helped over 2,500 people in the last 12 months.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific concern about under-reporting due to lack of statutory definition was not addressed directly.

How: Regular Meetings, Pride In Forced Marriage Unit

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Q3 Michael Fabricant Con
Women & Equalities
Context

The question addresses a specific form of domestic abuse, conversion therapy.

Question

One of the most insidious forms of domestic abuse is conversion therapy. It is cruel and it does not work. Could my hon. Friend give me some indication of when legislation will come forward to ban it?

Answer from Laura Farris

The Government will publish a draft Bill on banning conversion therapy in due course.

Partly answered

Not addressed: A specific timeline was not provided for publishing the draft Bill.

How: In Due Course

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