Harmful Practices

What are Harmful Practices

Harmful practices are types of abuse that can be physical, mental or emotional and can cause long term damage. They are often rooted in discriminations and can be embedded in communities for a long time. Harmful practices can be committed by immediate family, extended family or the wider community.

Type of Harmful Practices

Forced Marriage – Forced marriage is where one or both people do not or cannot consent to the marriage and pressures or abuse is used to force them into marriage. Forced marriage applies to anyone who individual who is made to made before the age of 18. The force may include threats of/actual physical, sexual or financial abuse or the individual being made to feel like they are bringing shame on the family by refusing to marry.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) – FMG refers to the painful, non-medical procedure that involves either the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or injures female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Child Marriage – Child marriage refers to any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the ages of 18 and an adult or another child

Breast Flattening – Breast flattening is the process during which young pubescent girls’ breast are ironed massaged, flattened and/or pounded down over a period of time, in order for the breast to disappear or delay the development of the breast entirely

Honour Based Abuse – Honour based abuse is an incident or crime involving violence, threats of violence, intimidation, coercion or abuse, which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of an individual, family and or community for alleged or perceived breaches of the family and/or community’s code of behaviour.

Harmful Practices

What are Harmful Practices

Type of Harmful Practices

References