This study aims to highlight the challenges and shortcomings that affect social work related to honor-based issues, which often result in individuals at risk of honor-based violence choosing to remain in oppressive situations, regardless of the consequences. We have conducted semi-structured interviews with social workers who address these problems in various professional roles, including social secretaries, counselors, foster homes, and organizations that work with preventive measures.
Scientific articles, books, and reports were used in the study to gain deeper insight into the subject. The material was analyzed based on intersectionality, systems theory, and anomie theory to gain a more profound understanding of the subject from different perspectives. These perspectives help analyze the factors that contribute to honor-based violence and oppression, and how the interaction between these factors can reinforce honor norms in Sweden.
The results reveal shortcomings in addressing honor-based problems, such as a lack of cooperation, knowledge, and interventions. These deficiencies, among other factors, restrict the opportunities for victims of honor-based violence to escape their destructive situations. The study also underscores limiting factors such as victims' low trust in authorities and insufficient long-term measures following a break-up. The segregation of ethnic groups in Sweden and its consequences is a recurring theme, focusing on how cultural distinctions and segregation can reinforce honor norms in society.
The study also points out a lack of adequate strategies and sufficient knowledge about how to effectively address honor norms within schools and social work, often overshadowed by the fear of being accused of racism. A key conclusion is that more knowledge about the issue is needed, along with the development of interventions for non-emergency cases that are grounded in a deeper understanding of the cultural context. It is also essential that the stigma surrounding terms such as "honor culture" and "honor-related violence" be eliminated, promoting a more productive debate and dissemination of knowledge at different levels, among politicians, in social work, in schools, and among immigrants. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need to improve integration efforts.