Today, July 14, would have been Shafilea Ahmed’s 36th birthday. She isn’t here to celebrate it, however, because she was murdered by her parents 19 years ago in a so-called "honor killing". She was 17.

The UK's National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Honor-Based Abuse takes place each year on July 14 to commemorate Ahmed and the many other victims of so-called "Honor-Based" Abuse (HBA).

HBA was first officially recognized in the UK after the 2007 murder of Banaz Mahmod, killed by relatives after leaving an abusive marriage. Over the past five years, cases of HBA reported to the UK police skyrocketed by a staggering 81% and it is estimated that up to 15 so-called "honor" killings occur in the country every year.

On the one hand, the increase is partly due to progress in classifying acts of violence as HBA and the empowerment of survivors to come forward. However, experts believe this is just the tip of the iceberg and that the real figures are likely to be much higher.

The UK is far from the only country home to such violence. HBA is a global problem and "honor" killings have been reported worldwide — including in the US, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.

Read the full article about honor-based abuse by Tess Lowery at Global Citizen.