Hidden tide of 'honour' violence in Britain's communities

The number of women from Britain’s ethnic communities coming forward to report so-called “honour” attacks has more than doubled in three years, new figures show.
By John Bingham
28 Dec 2011

But campaigners warn that recorded cases may be just the “tip of the iceberg” with thousands of incidents going unreported each year because of fear of reprisal, family pressure or inconsistent police recording.

Police figures also suggest that a significant proportion of victims drop their cases after initially coming forward.

It follows the launch of a Government consultation on plans to make forced marriage a criminal offence in Britain.

The proposal, backed by David Cameron, has been opposed by some groups on the grounds that it could “stigmatise” some communities.

It follows a string of high profile cases in which girls or young women were beaten, abducted and even murdered for supposedly bringing “dishonour” on their family by falling in love with someone they disapproved of. the rest