Honour-based abuse cases soar to record high in England and Wales as victims face forced marriage and genital mutilation

Police in England and Wales recorded 3,145 honour-based abuse offences in the year ending March, a record and a 7 per cent rise on the previous year. The figures include crimes such as forced marriage and female genital mutilation, but the Home Office says they capture only offences reported to and recorded by police, so the true scale is likely larger.

Female genital mutilation offences rose 51 per cent to 166, while forced marriage offences increased by four to 129. Controlling or coercive behaviour was the most common recorded category, at 22 per cent; the Metropolitan Police recorded 625 offences, the highest total of any force. Between 2021 and 2025, at least 100 children aged 12 or younger were referred to the government’s forced marriage unit, including 27 aged five or below.