A public health framework for preventing 'honour' based abuse: The three-phase model of perpetration

This paper presents the first conceptual framework for understanding 'honour'-based abuse (HBA), violence and killing: the Three Phase Model of Perpetration. Positioned within priorities of prevention and intervention, the model situates HBA within a public health framework, distinguishing it from other forms of child abuse, family violence and domestic homicide.

Narrative review and conceptual analysis.

A synthesis of academic and grey literature, statutory reviews, victim case studies, and survivor and perpetrator accounts identified recurring patterns in perpetrator behaviour and systemic responses.

The Three Phase Model maps HBA perpetrator behaviour across the lifespan through three interconnected phases - Control, Punish and Protect - showing how honour codes are socialised, enforced and justified within families and communities through collective coercive control and victim-shaming by multiple perpetrators.

HBA is a public health crisis requiring a targeted response. Its persistent framing through cultural identity rather than biopsychosocial processes has created a public health blind spot, limiting effective prevention. The Three Phase Model offers a framework to strengthen practitioner insight, enhance cultural competence, and inform training and policy reform for multi-agency safeguarding.