The purpose of this section of the report has been to analyse how LGBTI people’s vulnerability to honour-based violence and oppression is referred to in national steering documents. The focus has primarily been on action plans that describe efforts to promote LGBTI rights, including measures to combat violence. The space allocated to honour-based violence in these plans varies. It can be noted that the general steering documents on gender-based violence, violence in close relationships and honour-based violence and oppression mention LGBTI people as particularly vulnerable groups. This is justified with reference to so-called honour norms, which are characterised by patriarchal, conservative and heteronormative ideas about gender identity, gender expression and sexuality.
The section on the background to understanding violence against LGBTI people highlights several different perspectives that have been raised in previous research and studies. None of the perspectives presented rely on culture as an explanatory model but rather represent broader and more holistic perspectives on vulnerability to violence, based on the understanding that violence against LGBTI people in close relationships, families or from the general public is a serious problem that occurs in all societies.
Several different themes have been highlighted in the analysis of steering documents, reflecting the results of previous research. Double discrimination and increased focus on minorities within minorities is a clear example. The intersectional perspective highlights the particular vulnerability that LGBTI people with foreign backgrounds may experience due to their gender identity, sexuality and ethnic background. This vulnerability is the result of a variety of factors, including societal norms and attitudes as well as the actions of states. There is a discrepancy in the way LGBTI people’s vulnerability to violence is viewed, especially when the focus is on honour-based violence and oppression, which is often implicitly linked to people with foreign backgrounds.
The issue of LGBTI people’s vulnerability to honour-based violence and oppression raises a broader question about the boundaries between honour-based violence and other forms of violence and control. One example of this concerns conversion attempts, which are highlighted in steering documents as a specific form of violence. Previous reports and studies have noted that conversion attempts occur in various environments, in honour contexts and in free church environments. Similar to the distinction made between honour contexts and closed religious communities with regard to the issue of negative social control, the presentation of these two different contexts is problematic because it is based on the ethnic backgrounds of people in these contexts. From the perspective of victims of violence and their need for support and assistance, there may be several advantages to considering the common mechanisms behind violence and the causes of violence. It would benefit preventive work for all victims of violence and reduce the risk of the vulnerability of certain groups being overlooked.