Threat Assessment of Targeted Honor-Based Violence

Abstract

Honor-based violence can be defined as “any actual attempted or threatened physical harm of a family member with honor as a principle motive.” In its most extreme form it is manifested as murder of a family member (most often a woman or girl), or an intimate partner of a family member, because of the perpetrator’s belief that the victim has brought dishonor on the family. This chapter describes PATRIARCH, a structured professional judgment tool for assessing risk and threat of honor-based violence. The tool includes 15 factors, comprising the nature and pattern of the honor-based violence behavior, perpetrator risk factors, and victim vulnerability factors. The use of the tool in practice is described using a case example where the factors are exemplified and a summary risk formulation and a safety plan are made.