Honour based violence is biggest problem facing women {globally}

By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor

Published: 7:00AM GMT 26 Nov 2009

The new cross-Government strategy aimed at tackling violence against women will only be effective if issues that most affect ethnic minority women are properly addressed.

And that means including such topics in the planned compulsory lessons, revealed yesterday, for all pupils on gender equality and sexual violence, one campaign group said.

It came as David Green, the director of the think-tank Civitas, warned the strategy is "skirting around the edges" of the key issue surrounding violence against women – honour based crime.

He said: "The big problem we have is honour violence crime. If you asked said what is the biggest problem that women as a whole or particular women have at present, I would say the biggest problem is faced by women from ethnic minorities who are subject to routine violence.

"It would be much better to focus on that. One of the dangers of having lessons to teach everyone from a certain age that it is wrong to use violence against women is that is implies that men are all a potential menace but that is not the problem we face.

"The big problem is for particular women in particular ethnic communities. It would be better to say that and focus on that."

The Government announced this week that children as young as five will be given lessons in gender equality as part of the national curriculum to combat negative attitudes towards girls and women that could lead to a tendency for violence in later life.

The document also highlighted that certain groups of women, particularly those from ethnic minorities, face specific forms of violence, namely forced marriages, honour based crime and female genital mutilation.....

Original Article