1. POLICE WORK IN MULTI-ETHNIC SOCIETY: DEALING WITH HONOUR-BASED VIOLENCE

2. Kees Arendz, police inspector, team leader of the Nordic Centre of Expertise for Honour-based Violence (NEC) at Drachten
My background from :
‘74 - ’83: community policing
‘83 - ’96: criminal investigations and intelligence
‘96 - ’98: ICTR UN (Genocide)
’ : alien police
‘05 - ’10: JZS (juvenile police and vice squad)
‘10 - ’16: NEC

3. BENEFIT AND NECESSITY OF POLICE ATTENTION FOR ‘HBV’
The Dutch word for honour killing, ‘eerwraak’, is relatively new
Coined in 1978 by the Turkologist Nauta
Dutch population is completely different from that of the ‘50/’60.
Policing in a multi-ethnic society
Key figures on the composition of the population by ethnic group:
Turks, Moroccans, Afghans, Kurds, Somalis, Iraqis etc.

4. PILOT HONOUR-BASED VIOLENCE
Launched in October 2004 in the police regions of The Haque
General purpose was twofold:
To achieve the best possible prevention and protection of potential victims HBV
To gain an insight into the backgrounds of cases which the police have to deal with in practice.
Result was a National Programme HBV

5. THE MANY DIFFERENT FACES OF HONOUR
Honour is relevant to all people and times
The purpose of honour
Working definition formulated
The honour of men and women is not necessarily identical
In Turkish two different concepts of honour:
‘namus’ – has to do with chastity of women and girls
‘seref’ – status or prestige or esteem.

6. MANIFESTATIONS AND CAUSES
Relating to (non-) sexual honour:
Manifestations:
(threat of) murder, suïcide, fatal accident, abuse, mutilation, being sent away, divorce, restriction of freedom, snatching of children, lawsuit etc.
Cause:
loss of virginity, premarital sexual relations, leaving of spouse or family, gossip, staying away, improper behaviour, rebellion against family, rules and arranged marriages and engagements, disagreement about ownership, etc.

7. NEC RECEIVES A CASE Is this HBV? Red flags Database Checklist
LEC EGG (Dutch National Centre of Expertise for HBV)
Further analysis

8. RED FLAGS Causes of violation of honour Forms of restoration of honour
Characteristics of code of honour and social backgrounds of
persons concerned

9. RED FLAG: CAUSES OF VIOLATION OF HONOUR
Provocations
Threats
Calling names
Gossip
Conflicts

10. RED FLAG: FORMS OF RESTORATION OF HONOUR
Lethal violence (murder, manslaughter or suïcide)
Other forms of violence
Restoration of honour does not have to take place in the
Netherlands

11. RED FLAG: CHARACTERISTICS OF CODES OF HONOUR AND SOCIAL BACKGROUNDS OF PERSONS CONCERNED
Words referring to honour
Social backgrounds of persons concerned
Relation between individuality and membership of a group
Attitudes and emotions

12. CHECKLIST HBV Intake Identifying the problem Id
Social and economic background
Former violent experiences
Designing a plan of action
Hearing and the influence of interpreters
Embedding relevant information in the organisation!
Mediation

13. SAFETY FIRST Case study:
A married woman is expecting a child fathered by a man who is not her husband. After receiving death threats, she flees from the marital home. She finds a place to stay in a women’s shelter. The shelter approaches the NEC, which confirms, following analysis, that her life actually is in danger. The woman gives birth in a hospital. Her family do not know her whereabouts in the Netherlands. The hospital, however, sends the bill for ambulance, showing the district in which her shelter is located and the hospital, to her marital home. Now that the family knows which area she is living in, it will be easier to find out where the woman is staying.

14. COOPERATION
The police have to rely on good cooperation with the public and partners
Not only applies to obtaining information
also to the safety of potential victims
Dealing with information in a professional way is essential!
Protocol between the police and women’s shelters

15. HONOUR-BASED AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Tendency to put domestic and honour-based violence in the same box
Perception
Domestic violence occurs at all levels of society, also amongst ethnic minorities
What is striking is that domestic violence amongst ethnic minorities is often mentioned in the same breath as honour-based violence
Important differences are:
cause of domestic violence does not lie in damaged honour
cause of HBV always be found in a damaged sense of honour

16. THANK YOU !