Cumbria Conference Focused On Honour Crime And Domestic Violence In Same Sex Relationships

13/09/2012

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) working in partnership with Safer Cumbria hosted a Domestic Violence Conference at Newton Rigg College, Penrith today (13th September).

The conference explored issues of forced marriage, honour based violence and same sex domestic violence.  It was attended by Violence Against Women and Girls advocates, who provide independent advice and support to victims, as well as a number of public sector organisations, including Cumbria Police and the NHS.  Speakers included Councillor Sameem Ali, a forced marriage survivor; Nazir Afzal OBE, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West area, who is also the national lead for the CPS on forced marriage and honour based violence; James Rowlands from CAADA (Coordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse); and Richard Kavanagh from OutREACH Cumbria, an organisation that supports same sex victims of domestic violence.

Nazir Afzal, Chief Crown Prosecutor said, "I am delighted that the CPS is working in partnership with proactive advocacy groups in Cumbria.  Letgo Cumbria and Saheli Women's Group have years of experience in supporting victims of honour based violence and this conference has provided an important opportunity to share information and ideas with them."

"We also looked at the underreporting of domestic violence in same sex relationships with speakers from a number of organisations who have expertise in this area. This type of partnership working is vital to ensure that victims and witnesses receive the right support, which will in turn lead to more successful prosecutions and a safer Cumbria for all."

Julia Carver, Domestic and Sexual Violence Advisor at Safer Cumbria said, "The dreadful murder of Shafilea Ahmed, whose body was discovered in Cumbria, highlights the need to explore how we would support people who were subjected to honour based domestic violence. We need to understand more about these crimes to ensure that together we can better support victims and witnesses."

Last year there were 678 prosecutions for Domestic Violence in Cumbria.  Over 82% resulted in a conviction. 

If you are worried about Domestic Violence in Cumbria contact the Letgo Service on:

01228 633 640 - North

01229 582 386 - South

01900 842 991 - West