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

OBJECTIVES: 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. STUDY DESIGN: Narrative review and conceptual analysis. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.