Durham Student Halo Hub Newsletter - January 2024

Durham Student Halo Hub Newsletter January 2024

Introduction

Welcome to Durham University’s Halo Hub Newsletter 2024. The Halo hub is a student-led branch of the Halo Project, a charity that raises awareness of hate crimes and illegal harmful practices, including forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and honourbased violence, to protect those from BAME communities at risk.

Our newsletter aims to cover these issues and those related to it to spread awareness on them. This edition will feature seven articles predominantly covering domestic violence and abuse and forced marriage. These issues are particularly heinous and cover sensitive and emotional topics.

We will also have our final page discuss the events the hub in Durham held last term to highlight the input by the students.

For more updates and information on the work of our hub, please follow our Instagram: @durhamstudenthalo

In This Issue:

What is gender based violence?

Case Studies on Gender Based Violence What is HonourBased Violence

Types of Domestic Abuse What is Child Marriage?

Forced Marriages vs Arranged Marriages Obstetric Violence Our Work Last Term

What is Gender Based Violence?

Ffion Jones

The term "gender-based violence" (GBV) describes harmful acts perpetrated against a person based on that person's gender. According to UNICEF, genderbased violence is "the most pervasive yet least visible human rights violation in the world”.

GBV is a crime that is mostly, but not exclusively, committed by males against women. It is a form of gender inequality that results often from privilege and power abuse. Approximately 736 million women, which is nearly 1/3 of the global female population, have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their lives.

86% of women and girls reside in countries lacking legal protection against such.

Although GBV predominantly impacts women and girls, it is not limited to them.

LGBTQ+ communities, especially transgender individuals, and other marginalized groups are also susceptible to the effects of GBV. This problem primarily affects women in poor and lower-middle-income countries. A significant number of victims either cannot or choose not to approach the police, often driven by apprehension of retaliation or societal violence. Many find themselves grappling with the emotional and physical consequences of the abuse without any adequate support. GBV can also hinder women’s capacity to work, isolate them from society, affect their income, and create challenges in fulfilling their responsibilities towards both their families and themselves.

Other cultural factors that also contribute to GBV include gender stereotypes and prejudice, conventional expectations regarding femininity and masculinity, cultural norms, perception of the family domain as private and under male control, low educational attainment, and a lack of gender equality.

GBV can inflict harm through physical, financial, psychological, and sexual means, among others. Regardless of the specific form it takes, the common thread among all is their origin in and reinforcement of gender inequality.

Some examples of GBV include: Domestic violence Forced marriage ‘Honour’ crimes Sexual harassment Rape FGM Stalking This also includes threats of such.

Worldwide leaders play a crucial role in educating their audiences and challenging societal and cultural norms that foster gender-based violence.

Addressing this issue requires collective, decisive, and inclusive actions on a global scale.

Case Studies on Gender Based Violence Isabella Ferro

United Kingdom

Abroad - Mexico

In the year ending March 2023, 4.4.% of people aged 16 and over were victims of domestic abuse. This figure is made up of 1.4 million women and 751,000 men. Yet, the police only recorded 889,918 domestic abuserelated crimes and there were only 51,288 domestic abuse-related prosecutions.

As of 2021, 70.1% of women have experienced some sort of violence in their lifetime, 39.9% of whom have been victims of intimate partner violence. As of June 2023, there were 438 femicides nationwide, with one in every four homicides of women being classified as a femicide. Furthermore, in the past 10 years, only 25% of prosecuted femicides have resulted in a conviction.

In that same year, 2.1% of people aged 16 and over were victims of sexual assault. However, it is important to note that ‘fewer than one in six victims of rape or assault by penetration reported the crime to the police’. Furthermore, ‘Only 5% of rapes that were given an outcome by the police in the year ending December 2021 resulted in a charge’.

Currently, the UK government is attempting to resolve this through the passing of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 among other pieces of legislation aimed at reducing gender-based violence. However, it is important to note that these measures address the symptoms, not the cause, thus, measures to create long-term widespread societal change are necessary to eradicate genderbased violence successfully.

In 2021, there were over 88,000 rapes nationwide, meaning that every day 243 women over the age of 18 were raped. Moreover, between 2015 and 2023 there have been at least 6,615 victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation recorded, of which 1,657 were girls under the age of 18.

In terms of government action, the Lopez-Obrador government announced that in 2024, government measures to fight gender-based violence will face budget cuts, which has the potential to inhibit the fight against femicide in the country. The lack of government action and prevalence of impunity has led to public outrage and cries for positive action, manifested in protests against femicide and gender-based violence throughout 2023.

What is Honour-Based Violence?

Ira Bhat

Honour-based abuse is a form of domestic violence aimed at preserving family or community 'honour.' This crime typically involves punishing individuals perceived to have dishonoured their family or community and is often perpetrated by close or extended family and community members. It is rooted in cultural expectations and manifests as coercive control, prioritising the concept of 'honour' over the safety and well-being of individuals. This justification leads to emotional and physical abuse, disownment, and, in extreme cases, murder. Notably, honour-based abuse stands out from other forms of domestic violence due to its multiple perpetrator elements involving parents, relatives, and community members. Murders in the name of 'so-called honour' are often the culmination of a series of events over a period of time and are planned. There tends to be a degree of premeditation, family conspiracy and a belief that the victim deserved to die. This form of abuse violates human rights, encompassing domestic and/or sexual abuse, and cases are prosecuted using existing offences like assault, stalking, and kidnapping.

Motive

Honour-based violence is driven by various motives rooted in cultural and traditional values.

Common reasons include conflicts over inheritance, loss of virginity outside marriage, extramarital affairs, rebellion against traditional norms, and disagreement with forced marriages.

Other triggers encompass insulting a family member, homosexuality, and refusal to participate in honour-based violence against someone else.

Actions perceived as dishonourable, such as inappropriate dress, unsanctioned relationships, rejection of arranged marriages, pregnancy outside wedlock, and interfaith relationships, can provoke violence. Even minor transgressions like public displays of affection, alcohol, and drug use may be perceived as dishonourable.

Facts and Figures

Honour Based Abuse is prevalent in South Asian, Middle Eastern, and North and East African communities, affecting Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Orthodox Jews, and occasionally traveler communities. While women are often primary victims, men and children can also suffer. Cutting across cultures and faiths, HBA violates human rights and transcends national boundaries.

Despite its widespread impact, accurate data on the extent of this form of violence remains scarce, making it an invisible yet thriving problem. Victims endure prolonged abuse, and those at risk are seven times more likely to face multiple perpetrators and greater risks of serious harm or homicide. Research suggests at least one 'honour' killing occurs monthly in the UK, likely an underestimate

Types of Domestic Abuse Bani Rikhraj

Domestic abuse is typically manifested as a pattern of abusive behavior toward an intimate partner in a dating or family relationship, where the abuser exerts power and control over the victim. Victims of domestic abuse may also include a child or other relative, or any other household member. Incidents are rarely isolated, and usually escalate in frequency and severity.

Domestic abuse can be physical, emotional, financial or sexual in nature. This article will give some examples of each type of abuse and will outline some steps that victims can take to safeguard themselves.

Physical abuse: includes any violence or intentional and unwanted contact with your body. Some examples include: scratching, punching, biting, kicking, or strangling; throwing something at you; grabbing you to prevent you from leaving or to force you to go somewhere; using a weapon, etc.

Emotional abuse: is a pattern of behaviour in which the perpetrator insults, humiliates, and generally instils fear in an individual in order to control them.

Examples include: calling you names, intentionally embarrassing you in public, preventing you from seeing family or friends, telling you what to do or wear, causing damage to property when angry, stalking, threatening suicide, threatening to harm you or those around you, etc.

Sexual abuse: refers to any action that pressures you to do something sexually that you don’t want to do. Examples include: unwanted touching, unwanted violent sex, rape (including stealthing) or attempted rape, threatening you into having sex with them or with someone else, refusing to use a condom or restricting your access to birth control, using objects to hurt you during sex, etc.

Financial abuse: refers to the controlling and misusing of your money to restrict your financial action and affects your financial freedom. Examples include: controlling your money or running up debts in your name, taking out money or getting credit in your name without your knowledge or permission, making you hand over control of your accounts or adding their name to your accounts, borrowing your money and not giving it back, stealing your money or belongings, etc.

Seeking help: If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, contact the Refuge National Domestic Abuse Helpline at 0808 2000 247 for free and confidential advice available 24 hours every day. If you believe there is an immediate risk of harm to someone, call 999.

What is Child Marriage?

Elise Robson

According to UNICEF, child marriage is any union between a child under 18 and an adult or another child.

Despite a decline, approximately one in five girls are married when they are younger than 18. The country with the highest proportion of child marriages is Niger, where in 2012 76% of girls were married by the age of 18 and 28% by the age of 15. South Asia has 42% of the world’s child brides, with Bangladesh having the highest rate of under 15’s married.

While Asia, Africa and Latin America are often thought to be the hotspots of child marriage this does not mean that child marriage does not exist in the western world. In some US states and European countries there is no minimum age for marriage in law. Child marriage is currently legal in 41 states as only nine states have minimum age requirements of 18, with no exceptions. One reason for this is that some states have a statutory rape exception, where if a perpetrator marries their child victim, they can escape criminal proceedings. The European Parliament has acknowledged that child marriage remains a problem in some EU member states, and the process for implementing the Istanbul Convention, which would prevent the forced marriage of children, is a long one.

Inequalities Within it There is a significant class gap between the richest and the poorest in terms of child marriage.

Those in the poorest percentile are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of child marriage than those in the richest percentile. This is a reflected in both India and the Dominican Republic, especially.

There is also a gap between girls who live in rural and urban areas with girls living in rural areas of West and Central Africa, Latin American and the Caribbean being more likely to be victims than girls living in urban areas. In Malawi, the education gap between child brides and nonchild brides is evident, with nearly two-thirds of child brides having no education. This inequality is only made worse by the child marriage itself with women who are married as a child being less likely to receive medical care than those married as adults. This difference is seen most significantly in Vietnam where there is a 48% gap between those married as children receiving medical care and those married as adults.

Justifications

One of the main reasons for child marriage is gender inequality with men wanting to limit women’s sexuality and reproductive choices. This is reflected in the gender divide in child marriage statistics as whilst 720 million women globally have been victims of child marriage, the number is 156 million for boys. Another reason for child marriage is the following of social norms and practices accepted amongst a group of people. This is seen in Serbia where more than half of women in Roma communities are married before the age of 18. A common feature amongst child marriage victims is that they are from areas that have experienced significant instability and poverty. This is as the marriage may help to resolve a family’s financial problems, through a dowry for example, or may help a family to build vital social connections to help them survive.

Consequences

Child marriage places a huge burden of responsibility on victims to perform a role that they do not yet have the lived experience to deal with.

This can place a massive psychological and physical burden on the child. This can be seen in terms of the expectation of children to have children themselves, something their body may not yet be physically developed enough to do. This increases the risk of a traumatic, and on some occasions fatal birth. Many child marriage victims become socially isolated from their families when they get married and therefore lack a sufficient support system. There is also an element of financial dependency as many victims have to leave education when they wed so lack the skills to support themselves. This means they cannot leave a marriage which they entered as a child as they are completely dependent on their spouse.

Forced Marriage vs Arranged Marriage Mariam Hussain

People are often confused about the distinction between forced and arranged marriages, and they often seem to blur the very distinct line between the two – ultimately deeming them as the same thing. But in reality, they are not the same and have a very velar difference that separates them morally.

An arranged marriage occurs in many cultures and often involves an introduction by a family member. The individuals always have a choice, and the marriage will only go ahead with the full consent of both parties. If a person feels pressured or is expected to marry against their wishes, this is a forced marriage.

Arranged and forced marriages exist on a spectrum, where consent and the ability to ask questions, have preferences, change one’s mind, or reject a proposal are critical factors. An arranged marriage may start with an individual having full participation in the spouse selection process, but over time the family may begin to disregard the individual’s questions and concerns, dismissing the individual’s preferences entirely – moving the individual into a situation where he or she is facing a forced marriage. This is not always the case with arranged marriages, and a lot do require consent and the spouses are happy with the proposals – but this newsletter is here to address the differences.

It is often assumed that forced marriage is a religious practice – but it is very important to know that forced marriage is CONDEMNED in every religious book. It is NOT a religious practice at all and should never be associated with one.

Consent is key Consent is essential for any marriage to take place, but only the potential spouses themselves will know if their consent is provided freely. If a person does not have mental capacity, then they cannot consent to the marriage. This should be a consideration for people with moderate to severe learning disabilities.

In a criminal court, the maximum penalty for forced marriage offences is seven years imprisonment.

Forced marriages often involve threats, violence, abuse, abduction, and segregation.

Victims may be tricked into travelling abroad, believing they're on holiday, only to be betrothed and refused to return home. Both males and females can be victims.

The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 and Part IVA of the Family Law Act 1996 protect individuals from being forced into marriage. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 criminalizes coercion, abuse, violence, and threats to force marriage against will. Victims can face up to 7 years imprisonment. The Act also prosecutes overseas individuals involved in forced marriages.

Obstetric Violence Isobel Barfoot

Obstetric violence refers to violence or abuse against women during pregnancy and childbirth at the hands of maternity services. This maltreatment unfolds across various settings including hospitals, home births and appointments. It also involves many healthcare providers such as family doctors, nurses, midwives, anesthesiologists, and more.

This term serves as an umbrella, covering diverse forms of abuses, most notably linked to issues of consent.

Obstetric violence occurs when medical interventions transpire without patients being fully informed or consenting to the procedures. It extends to situations where consent is withdrawn after a procedure has commenced, yet it remains possible to halt the intervention. It also extends to situations where only coerced consent has been given. Such coercion may involve bullying, threats of Children’s Services intervention, manipulation, deceit, or intimidating a patient into consenting to a procedure.

However, obstetric violence extends beyond consent-related issues, encapsulating verbal and physical abuse and discrimination and neglect. Examples may include withholding anesthesia, ordering unnecessary medical procedures or examinations, or physically restraining women during childbirth Furthermore, there can be a structural element to obstetric violence. This means that often there are policies in place within hospitals that undermine pregnant women’s human rights. For instance, policies requiring acceptance of tests or interventions for access to certain forms of care, such as homebirth services or pain relief, undermine informed consent and a woman’s right to bodily autonomy.

Challenging Obstetric Violence

What can be Done?

Challenging obstetric violence can be incredibly difficult, primarily because it involves healthcare professionals. Victims may not recognise the abuse due to a misguided belief that the procedures are in their best interest or in the best interest of their child’s. Furthermore, the normalisation of some form of obsteric violence leads to many cases going unreported, due to the belief that what happened was simply normal medical procedure.

Complicating matters further, obstetric violence is not explicitly defined as a crime in the UK. While criminal laws on battery and assault might encompass certain forms of obstetric violence, no woman has pursued legal action specifically for obstetric violence. Attempting to bring such cases against hospitals or medical professionals often proves challenging, with difficulties in finding solicitors willing to take on these complex cases.

Complaints filed by women against hospitals may not always be taken seriously, perpetuating the assumption that medical professionals inherently "know best." Consequently, there exists a significant gap in justice for women victimised by obstetric violence.

Initiating change begins with education. A significant challenge lies in the number of unreported cases, a consequence of the normalisation of medical procedures and practices which constitute as obstetric violence, as well as the fact that victims may remain unaware of their victimhood due to a lack of understanding regarding obstetric violence.

Such education should particularly target medical professionals. The focus should be on informed consent, in order to prevent procedures from proceeding without women's fully informed and uncoerced agreement. However, the scope of education should extend beyond healthcare professionals. Obstetric violence is a societal concern, impacting any woman, and as such, awareness and understanding should permeate all levels of society.

Moreover, establishing enhanced legal protections and more accessible complaint mechanisms is imperative. Currently, obstetric violence is not formally recognised as a crime, making it challenging for women to pursue legal action. By developing robust complaint mechanisms, and embedding obstetric violence within a legal framework, a more just and accountable system can be reached, offering greater support to women who have experienced such violence.

Our Work Last Term Training Session A training session was held with the main Halo Project briefing our members on the topics we spread awareness on. We learnt detailed insights on forced marriages, female genital mutilation, and honour based violence. We also had the opportunity to discuss various new ideas for the Durham team to work on and develop for this year.

Charity Bake Sale We also hosted a bake sale near our Students’ Union to raise money for the Halo Project. Many of our team members baked the goods such as the lemon drizzle, Nutella twists, cinnamon swirls and chocolate cupcakes. The bake sale was a success and we raised £325 for the Halo Project. Thanks to everyone who came and donated or bought a sweet treat!