ABSTRACT

This chapter follows the cases of two sisters, Banaz and Bekhal Mahmod, as examples of the lives of black and minority ethnic (BME) women who experience gender-based violence: exploring the overlaps between domestic violence, forced marriages and so called honour-based violence (HBV), also known as honour crimes. It charts the journey of the BME women's movement struggle to fight violence against BME women and girls, primarily through the experiences of a leading BME women's organisation, Southall Black Sisters (SBS). Domestic violence and HBV can both include forced marriage a marriage without free and valid consent of one or both parties, involving duress. The Metropolitan police estimate there are 12 cases of honour killings per year and minority and migrant women are disproportionately represented as victims of domestic homicide. The experiences of Bekhal and Banaz illustrate the ways in which forced marriage, domestic and sexual violence, honour and gender inequality interlaced.