Authorities have been accused of failing vulnerable victims as concerns grow over unofficial religious courts operating in Britain. Fresh Government data reveal fewer than three in every 100 reported “honour-based abuse” cases ended with a conviction last year. 

The offences can include forced marriage, female genital mutilation and even murder carried out in the name of family reputation. Critics say the figures point to a wider breakdown in enforcement, warning perpetrators believe they can act with little fear of punishment. Campaigners also raised alarm about the growing use of informal sharia councils to settle disputes inside some communities.

They argue cases are increasingly handled privately rather than reported to authorities, leaving victims outside the protection of the criminal justice system.

According to activists, this risks creating a shadow justice structure operating behind closed doors and beyond official oversight, making it harder for police to intervene before abuse escalates.

Thousands of suspected honour-based offences are being reported to police each year — yet only a tiny fraction are reaching the courts.

Official figures show 2,949 incidents were logged across Britain last year, but just 95 suspects were prosecuted. The pattern has repeated in recent years: 2,755 cases in 2023/24 produced only 80 prosecutions, while 3,008 reports in 2022/23 led to just 68.

Female genital mutilation remains a particular concern. The Metropolitan Police alone has recorded more than 1,000 reports since 2015, including 109 last year and 111 the year before — nearly double the 65 cases reported in 2019/20. 

Despite the practice being outlawed in England and Wales almost four decades ago, Britain has secured only three convictions, the first in 2019 involving a three-year-old girl.

Forced marriage shows a similar trend. Police recorded 766 cases between 2020 and 2025, yet only 118 resulted in prosecutions. Annual figures ranged from 141 to 201 reports over the period, but prosecutions typically numbered only a few dozen each year.

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Campaigners say the gap between complaints and court action highlights the difficulty authorities face in turning allegations into charges — and raises fears offenders are operating with little realistic prospect of punishment.

Nick Timothy MP, the shadow justice secretary, told the Telegraph: “There can only be one rule of law.

“But the British state has turned a blind eye to sharia courts spreading across our country.

“This is allowing so-called ‘honour’ crimes and abuse to go unpunished.”

Rebecca Paul MP, a Conservative member of the Commons women and equalities committee, said: “There is nothing at all ‘honourable’ about these crimes – “This is unacceptable in modern Britain.

“Close-knit clannish structures within isolated, unintegrated communities allow such violence to continue unreported and unchallenged. 

“More tailored support for Muslim women facing domestic abuse is needed along with a more assertive approach to integration.”