Cultural Differences 

A hate crime can be any kind of crime, e.g. harassment, criminal damage etc. If the person committing the crime does so because they think the victim is different from them in some way then that can be classed as a hate crime. Common categories of hate crime include disability, age, race, religion, sexuality, gender identity but other reasons such as the way a person looks or dresses can also be classed as a hate crime.

CACH (Communities Against Crimes of Hate) is an organisation set up in Staffordshire (covering Stafford Borough, South Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Tamworth Borough and Lichfield) to help victims of these sorts of incidents. Any incident or crime that is thought might be motivated by the victim’s ‘difference’ can be reported to CACH (pronounced ‘catch’). We deal with incidents in a wide range of ways and offer the victim recommendations and advice about what steps can be taken.  

Honour based violence is a violent crime or incident which may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family or community.It is often linked to family members or acquaintances who mistakenly believe someone has brought shame to their family or community by doing something that is not in keeping with the traditional beliefs of their culture. For example, honour based violence might be committed against people who:

Forced marriage is defined as a marriage contracted without the free and valid consent of one or both parties. It is different to an arranged marriage where there is free and valid consent from both parties. The pressure put on people to marry against their will can be physical (including threats, actual physical violence and sexual violence) or emotional and psychological (for example, when someone is made to feel like they’re bringing shame on their family). Financial abuse (e.g. withholding money) can also be a factor. Forced marriage is recognised as a form of violence against women and men, and a serious abuse of human rights. Forcing someone into a marriage against their will, including taking them abroad for a forced marriage, is illegal in England and Wales.