An examination of ‘Shame’ and ‘Honour’ and their meaning for female child sexual abuse victims from South Asian communities.

Concepts of ‘Shame’ and Honour’ feature dominantly within South Asian communities, namely Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi families. They govern everyday life for many of these families and centre upon the need to preserve family honour and avoid anything that may be interpreted as shameful. The concepts are deeply integrated into the culture and community inhabited by children and adults. Referred to as ‘Sharam’ and ‘Izzat’, this research will examine the extent to which these concepts feature in the experience of child sexual abuse and whether they are impacting the low referral and conviction rates for child sexual abuse within these communities. The research will be centred upon female abuse victims for whom these concepts feature in the area of domestic and honour based abuse and violence. It may be that these concepts are creating an added pressure for these victims, knowing that disclosures or reporting will jeopardize family reputation and community harmony. Consequently, perpetrators from the community may be being protected by the existence of these concepts.The research is interviewing adult female survivors of this abuse to seek greater understanding of how Sharam and Izzat may be featuring in the experiences of child sexual abuse in these communities.