”Det här är ett fritt land för mig.” : En studie om synen på hedersrelaterat förtryck bland utsatta kvinnor och professionella socialarbetare.

Abstract With the murder of Fadime in 2002 honor killings and honour related oppression became a subject of wide public debate. The question was raised whether the Swedish social services had the knowledge and the resources necessary to face the issue with honor related oppression. This study is about the views on honor related oppression among oppressed women and professional social workers and aims to explore the relationship between social worker and client in an honor related context. Does the risk of culture clashes pose a problem in dealing with the Swedish authorities and do Swedish social workers have the necessary tools to help the, often young, oppressed women that seek their aid? This is a qualitative study based on five individual interviews: Two former victims of honour related oppression, two professional social workers and one relative of a young girl who was the victim of an honor killing. Observations: The social workers found that they had adequate resources at hand but that awareness among employees in the social services needed to be improved. The clients felt that the help they’ve received from the social services was helpful but that more information to the public about available resources was necessary along with a better understanding of the differences between their own culture and that of the Swedish society. The clients expressed that the realization that they were being oppressed didn’t come overnight. Living under strict moral guidelines meant that you simply had to adapt in order to stay in the family. Strong family ties also made the separation harder even if it came out of necessity.