Honour killings may be grossly under-reported, according to the BBC, who suggest inter-family violence may be more prevalent in the UK than we realise.
Honour violence is most common in Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
If one individual brings shame, they are often subject to violence or murder by fellow family members to restore honour. A council of Europe resolution in 2003 recognised that "so-called 'honour crimes' emanate from cultural and not religious roots and are perpetrated worldwide". However the resolution continued to say "the majority of reported cases in Europe have been among Muslim or migrant Muslim communities".
The UN estimated 5,000 people died because of honour killings every year although Phyllis Chesler, who has investigated the subject, said the figure was far higher.
"That number may be reasonable for Pakistan alone," she said.
Chesler said 91 per cent of perpetrators were Muslim.
However despite the association with Muslim communities mainly in Asian countries, the BBC has questioned whether honour killings are on the rise in the UK.
The one-off drama Murdered by My Father tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with the wrong man with disastrous consequences.
According to the BBC, honour killings may be significantly under reported in the UK.
In 2010 there were 2,800 incidents of honour based violence in the UK. Last year more than 9,000 calls were made to helplines set up to deal with honour-based violence. Only a tiny proportion of arrests have been made.
The Henry Jackson Society reports 29 cases of honour killings or attempted killings in the UK. However charities estimate the figure is higher according to the BBC.
A survey in 2012 found 69 per cent of British Asians agree families should live according to to the concept of honour, but among 16-24 year old Asians, 94 per cent did not think there was ever justification for honour killings.
