How we define and organise responses to honour-based violence has important consequences for legislation, public policy and support services for victims. In the new anthology, Beyond Honour, researchers compare policy and practice in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, while also examining how honour-based violence has been defined and debated across the region.
Drawing on previous and ongoing research, the anthology brings together scholarly essays by four Nordic researchers: Anja Bredal (NOVA Norwegian Social Research, OsloMet, Norway), Rúna í Baianstovu (Örebro University, Sweden), Satu Lidman (independent researcher, University of Turku, Finland) and Anika Liversage (VIVE The Danish Center for Social Science Research, Denmark).
Approaches and challenges
The analyses show that the four countries have implemented the Convention in different ways. While all recognise honour-based violence as a serious societal problem, they differ in how closely it is integrated into broader policies on domestic violence and violence against women. At the same time, the picture is more complex than a simple division suggests. Even where policies appear integrated, honour-based violence may in practice be governed, organised or understood as a separate category.
The researchers also examine public debate, which has often portrayed honour-based violence as fundamentally different from ‘ordinary’ domestic violence. The anthology points out that dedicated policies have played a role in raising awareness and strengthening professional knowledge. At the same time, the authors argue, treating honour-based violence as fundamentally different from other forms of domestic violence may create new challenges. Such binary distinctions can obscure how violence is shaped by multiple interacting factors and individual circumstances.
“When different forms of violence or violence associated with different groups are addressed through separate policy frameworks and support systems, some victims risk falling through the cracks or being denied access to appropriate services” says Anja Bredal, researcher at OsloMet and editor of the anthology.
A new analytical framework
One of the anthology’s main contributions is a new analytical framework for understanding this complexity.
“Rather than treating honour-based violence as a fixed category with a predefined set of characteristics, we propose analysing violence as a combination of multiple dimensions, where factors such as motive, planning, family involvement, cultural norms and individual circumstances are assessed separately in each case” says Anja Bredal
According to the researchers, this approach provides a more precise basis for research, policymaking and support services, while recognising both the similarities and the diversity of victims’ experiences.
Progress in practice
The anthology also highlights that important progress has been made in practice. Across the Nordic countries, professionals and support services working directly with victims have developed increasingly nuanced ways of understanding and responding to violence. The authors argue that these experiences provide an important foundation for future policy development.
The anthology is commissioned by the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg, and is intended for researchers, policymakers and professionals working to prevent and respond to violence against women and domestic violence.
