Iceland trains professionals to assess honour-based violence risk

Professionals from police, child protection, schools and health services have been trained to assess the risk of honour-based violence in a first-of-its-kind course in Iceland, mbl.is reported.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing held the course in October with the National Commissioner of Police, focusing on a specialised risk-assessment tool. Representatives from police, municipalities, child protection, health services, schools and voluntary organisations were invited to take part.

The course ran from 13 to 15 October and is estimated to have cost about 2.6 million Icelandic krónur. The ministry does not expect it to be held regularly.

Honour-based violence involves violence, threats or coercion justified as a way to protect or restore the supposed honour of a family or group. Cases have emerged in Iceland where such violence is suspected. In other Nordic countries, honour-related conflicts have repeatedly ended in murder.