Background Honour Based Violence (HBV), a sub-category of gender based violence, is increasing in the UK and has a significant impact on well-being, particularly for women and girls. In the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation: 1997–2013 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire the 1,400 victims were reported to be mostly white British girls and the perpetrators mostly South Asian men. It is believed however there were also a number of unreported South Asian victims and that cultural sensitivity was prioritised over the wellbeing of girls subject to abuse in raising awareness of the problem for both ethnic groups.

Methods Mixed method study incorporating a) A literature review on HBV and wellbeing links; b) interviews (n = 16), Focus groups (n = 4), with women and girls of Pakistani origin in Rotherham and Sheffield and WEMWBS wellbeing scale (n = 40).

Results This study explores the relationship between HBV and wellbeing of women and girls in Rotherham and Sheffield whilst employing culturally sensitive methodologies. The results of the literature review are presented regarding evidence for and against the role of equality and diversity dimensions, such as ethnicity, disability, gender, age and sexuality in HBV. Risk and protective factors and the evidence around any causal links between health (public and individual) and HBV are also presented. The results of the qualitative interviews identify where HBV may have been experienced in these two locations, what women and girls perceive to be HBV and how they believe their health and wellbeing is affected.

Conclusions Understanding of women and girls experience of HBV in Pakistani community by looking at socio-economic, political, individual, cultural and religious factors could be used as a pilot study for a larger, future study on prevention HBV in the UK. A greater understanding of the root causes of HBV could reduce the stereotyping of HBV being a purely cultural phenomenon.