Honour-based abuse
KCSIE 2026 calls it “‘honour’ or faith-based abuse” (HBA). It covers incidents or crimes committed “to protect or defend the ‘honour’ of the family and/or the community”, including FGM, forced marriage and practices such as breast ironing (Annex A).
Three things set it apart:
- Several perpetrators. It “often involves a wider network of family or community pressure and can include multiple perpetrators” (Annex A). The people a child would normally turn to may be part of the risk.
- It is always abuse. “All forms of HBA are abuse (regardless of the motivation) and should be handled and escalated as such” (Annex A).
- Talking to the family can make it worse. The forced marriage guidelines warn against mediation, family counselling or contacting the family before police or social care enquiries (section 8.1).
KCSIE lists being “at risk of ‘honour’ or faith-based abuse such as Female Genital Mutilation or Forced Marriage” among the reasons a child may need extra support (paragraph 18). It also says absence from school can be a warning sign of FGM, HBA or forced marriage (Annex A).
If you’re worried, speak to the DSL or a deputy. The DSL will activate local safeguarding procedures with the police and children’s social care (Annex A).
New law, not yet in force. Sections 143 and 144 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 create the first statutory definition of honour-based abuse and let the government issue statutory guidance on it to public authorities. When we checked legislation.gov.uk on 20 October 2026, neither section had been brought into force and no guidance had been issued under them.
FGM
FGM is “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs”. It is illegal in the UK and is child abuse (KCSIE Annex A). The multi-agency statutory guidance says it isn’t required by any religion (chapter 2).
Risk factors
The most significant factor is a family history of FGM (multi-agency guidance, Annex B). Others that school staff may notice include:
- a girl’s mother, older sister or cousin has had FGM
- a girl talks about a “special procedure” or a special occasion to “become a woman”
- a girl talks about a long holiday to a country where FGM is common, or parents say they will take her abroad for a long period
- a girl asks a teacher for help because she thinks she is at risk
- a girl from a practising community is withdrawn from PSHE or RSHE
- a girl is unexpectedly absent from school
- the family won’t engage with school or other professionals
Girls taken abroad for FGM are often taken at the start of the school holidays, especially the summer (Annex B). A girl at risk is a safeguarding concern for the DSL, not a case for the mandatory duty. Courts can make an FGM protection order to stop a girl being taken abroad, including by surrendering passports (section 3.3).
Signs it may already have happened
The guidance lists difficulty walking, sitting or standing, spending a long time in the toilet, frequent urinary, menstrual or stomach problems, long periods out of class, and avoiding PE without a GP’s letter (Annex B). Staff should never examine a pupil.
The FGM mandatory reporting duty
Section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 has applied to teachers since 31 October 2015.
| FGM reporting duty | |
|---|---|
| Who | Teachers: people employed or engaged to carry out teaching work in schools and other institutions in England (section 5B(11)). Also health professionals, and social care workers in Wales. |
| Trigger | In the course of their work, the teacher discovers that FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under 18, because she tells them, or because they see physical signs (sections 5B(3) and (4)). |
| Not covered | Suspicion or risk only, disclosure by a parent or someone else, and women aged 18 or over. Use normal safeguarding procedures for these (KCSIE Annex A; procedural information). |
| To whom | The police force for the area where the girl lives. The Home Office recommends calling 101. |
| When | As soon as possible. Best practice is by the close of the next working day. The legal maximum is one month from discovery (section 5B(5)). |
| Who reports | The teacher personally. They need not report if they have reason to believe another teacher has already reported the same case (section 5B(6)). |
| Failure | Not a criminal offence, but it can lead to disciplinary action and, where relevant, a referral to the teaching regulator. |
KCSIE 2026 says the teacher should still discuss the case with the DSL and involve children’s social care as appropriate, unless there is good reason not to (Annex A). Seeing signs will be rare: teachers “should not be examining pupils” (Annex A). The procedural information gives the example of a teacher helping a young child in the toilet or changing a nappy.
A new, separate duty to report child sexual abuse is in the Crime and Policing Act 2026, but it isn’t in force yet. See the mandatory reporting duty.
Forced marriage
A forced marriage is one entered into without the full and free consent of one or both people, where violence, threats or any other coercion is used. Some people can’t consent, for example because of a learning disability. It is a crime in England and Wales (KCSIE Annex A).
Since 27 February 2023, under the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, it is also a crime to do anything intended to cause a child to marry before they turn 18, even without coercion. That includes unofficial, non-binding “marriages”. The minimum age for marriage or civil partnership in England and Wales is now 18 (forced marriage statutory guidance).
Warning signs in school
The statutory guidance lists (section 2.11):
- absence and persistent absence
- requests for extended leave, or not coming back from a visit abroad
- fear about the coming school holidays
- being watched by siblings or cousins at school
- a decline in behaviour, engagement, performance or punctuality
- not being allowed to attend extra-curricular activities
- a sudden engagement, often to a stranger
- being stopped from going on to further or higher education
What to do
The guidelines describe a “one chance” rule: you may only get one chance to speak to a potential victim. Chapter 8 tells school staff to:
- tell the DSL straight away and make sure they speak to the pupil privately
- follow child safeguarding procedures with the police and children’s social care if the pupil is under 18
- find out whether the pupil has dual nationality and may have two passports
- seek advice from the Forced Marriage Unit
And not to contact the family or community first, send the pupil home, act as a mediator, or take a pupil off roll without first referring to the police and social care.
Contacts
- Forced Marriage Unit: 020 7008 0151, fmu@fcdo.gov.uk. Verified against GOV.UK and KCSIE 2026 on 20 October 2026.
- FGM: report known cases in girls under 18 to the police on 101. Call 999 if a girl is in immediate danger.
- Childline: 0800 1111, for pupils.