Specialist prosecutors who tackle honour-based violence will be increased in a bid to reduce the number of victims and bring more offenders to justice, the Sutton’s crown prosecutor has said.
Lisa Brown said while Sutton has not had any recent honour-based cases, it would benefit from the increase which is taking place across London.
She said: “Honour-based violence is a big problem across the whole of London and with this increase in the number of specialist prosecutors we have we hope to reduce the number of victims and bring more offenders to justice.
“By having a number of prosecutors who specialise in this type of crime we have a database of people with knowledge of the difficulties in bringing prosecutions against offenders.”
An honour-based crime is defined as a crime or incident which has, or may have been, committed to protect or defend the honour of a family or a community.
It can affect both men and women, cuts across a number of cultures and communities and is closely associated with domestic abuse and child protection matters.
Mrs Brown said: “The prosecutors will be familiar with the different, sensitive and often complex issues which are apparent in cases of this kind.
“Honour-based violence is difficult to prosecute as it involves family, community and long-standing cultural beliefs.
“But the Crown Prosecution Service will not shy away from tackling honour-based violence, it is a fundamental abuse of human rights.”
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