Refuge comment on the sentencing of Banaz Mahmod’s killers

Sandra Horley OBE, Chief Executive of Refuge, said:

“Refuge welcomes the life sentencing of Banaz Mahmod’s killers as a clear and strong message that domestic violence, whether it’s perpetrated by a husband, partner, father or brother, is the most abhorrent of crimes and will be punished accordingly.

“Banaz Mahmod’s young life could have been saved.  She called for help but was left to fend for herself, not only by police officers woefully ill-equipped to deal with her special needs, but also by a wider support system that made it difficult to escape.  Refuge believes there are stark lessons to be learnt from this case.

"So-called ‘honour’-based violence is a complex and serious issue that requires urgent commitment from all public bodies.  It is essential to raise awareness and challenge social attitudes towards this kind of crime across the whole of society, but systematic improvements in services for women experiencing violence must go alongside this. 

" Women experiencing ‘honour’-based violence must have sufficient protection from emergency services, as well as access to refuge accommodation, advocacy and community support.  There is a shortage of generic services for women experiencing domestic violence as it is, but specialist support for black, minority and ethnic women is even more intolerably under-provided.”