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"A woman who defies her kin group by not marrying the proper spouse or committing some sexual deviancy is a deeply felt insult in Kurdish, Pakistani and Sikh norms and values. In these cases, the female involved is often in danger of being killed," according to Dr. Aisha Gill, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Roehampton University (left). "The killer - most often the woman's father, brother or uncle - perceives his actions as "cleansing the honour", a process which is accomplished through the spilling of blood."

The concept of 'honour' based violence hit the headlines when Mohamad Hama was put on trail for the murder of Banaz Mahmod. It was alleged that Hama had been hired by Banaz's father, Mahmod Mahmod, and her uncle, Ari Mahmod, who perceived Banaz had dishonoured the family by having a boyfriend, Rahmat Sulemani, who they felt was not a strict enough Muslim.

In the two-and-a-half hour ordeal, the young Kurdish woman was subjected to sexual violence and eventually had her neck snapped to "get her soul out". More worryingly, perhaps, was that Banaz reported her fears to authorities, but was disbelieved.

"This case has several implications for awareness, prevention, and intervention regarding 'honour' based violence," argues Gill. "There is a need to believe the testimony of a victim who reports that she has received threats of this nature. We must invest in specialist prevention programmes and expand financial, legal and support services for women fleeing crimes related to 'honour'. To deter recurrent patterns of abuse, punitive responses must be made to those who perpetrate violence. This must happen to prevent another tragic case like that of Banaz."

Gill believes that violence against women has its roots in the belief in some communities that they are the property of men. This is often enforced by "customary practices" and sometimes also by legal systems in certain countries.

"While the global community has increasingly begun to recognise the importance of women's rights and the alleviation of the injustice they face, the phenomena of gender-based violence in Kurdish and South Asian communities has paradoxically been on the rise. Here they are most vulnerable to violation of their rights to life, liberty and security."

The concept of honour or sharaf/izzat has deep roots in Kurdish and Asian traditions. Despite media attention focussing on the killings, Gill points out that violence can also manifest itself in "early and forced marriage", or in "sisters and daughters being sold into slavery and mutilation". Equally there can be "the deprivation of freedom, education, or friendship for those concerned", motivated by the desire to preserve the family or community honour.

"The honour/shame dynamic plays a role among Kurdish/Asian communities, as it does across the Mediterranean and Southwest Asian regions. I have encountered many stories in my research where women did not tell their families about being abused, because they believed that it would bring shame to the family name. While many are aware of the atrocities that some women in these communities experience, the honour/shame dichotomy encourages silence rather than publicity of crimes against women. They are then doubly punished, first by the abuse itself and then by being at least implicitly held responsible for it as a source of family shame."

During July the Crown Prosecution service announced the piloting of specialist police and prosecution units in four identified 'hot spot' areas (London,West Midlands,West Yorkshire and Lancashire) for 'honour' based violence. This is in addition to the government's Forced Marriage Unit and independent victims groups. Gill however continues to call for greater clinical research into this area to better identify cases of risk so that early action can be taken.

"Ending this violence cannot be accomplished through legislative actions alone, but
would entail a multi-pronged approach involving education and economic improvement," she explains. "Also required is a strong social response from all parts of the community.Women's ability to resist violence hinges on access to economic and social resources, including social support. All this is important if progress is ever to be made towards ending violence against women."

words: Andrew Laughlin

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