HBTQ-personers hedersutsatthet - En kvalitativ studie av socialarbetares upplevelser av arbetet

There are many cultures where honour is of central value, with strict ideas about how an individual should be and act. These are based on heteronormative views on gender and sexuality. This often effects lgbtq individuals because of their tendency to deviate from these norms. This results in them becoming victims of honour based violence. The aim of this thesis was to study social work practice with lgbtq individuals who are subject to honour based violence, with a focus on the practitioners’ experiences with this work as well as the types of support provided for this client group. To collect our data we interviewed practitioners who encounter lgbtq individuals living in an honour-centred context. Relevant research for this thesis is limited and often only covers either lgbtq related struggles or honour based violence. To analyse our data we used Erving Goffman’s theory of social stigma combined with research on these areas. The result shows that practitioners can see a certain vulnerability amongst these individuals because of their lgbtq identity and the honour-centred context that surrounds them. Heteronormativity also plays a large role in how the individual is viewed by their community and they often get stigmatized because of this. Practitioners explain how gender neutral language is of great importance when meeting the client group. They also highlight the lack of knowledge when it comes to working with this specific group. The amount of support available for and adapted to these individuals is also lacking, however, there is support provided for individuals affected by honour based violence which can also be accessed by those who identify as lgbtq