Earlier today, the House of Commons heard a ten-minute rule bill presented by Nusrat Ghani to tackle so-called honour killings. The police have said that it will take community action to eradicate the crime. But communities still need to be supported by the legal system, argues Dr Hannana Siddiqui.
The solution, however, does not lie in prevention by communities alone, but also greater state action in supporting black feminist leadership, and ensuring protection and provision. Words just do not say enough.. The last time I saw Banaz alive was in I wish with all my heart I had taken her with me in because she would then still be alive…I can honestly say there's not been one night without having nightmares about what has happened to her…My life will never be the same again.
If there's one thing I could wish for it would be to have Banaz back. I miss her and love her. They represent the extreme and tragic results of honour based violence HBV in black and minority ethnic BME communities which needs urgent action to address through prevention, protection and provision. At a recent conference in Britain, a senior police officer stated that the police could not eradicate HBV alone; that sustained change could only be made by the communities themselves through community driven solutions.
However, while this recognition by the police is welcome, sustained change cannot be achieved by the community alone. Prevention has to be accompanied by protection and provision.
Yet these are the very services and campaigns that often the state fails to support! Instead, it continues to emphasise work with male leaders, for example, by issuing a faith leaders declaration against female genital mutilation. The project also developed a young BME female pupil Ambassadors for Change programme which campaigned within the school and more widely.
Feedback from the pupils indicated that Southall BlackSisters involvement in the project was critical to its success, that the lessons had exposed some myths about the violence in their communities and, feeling more determined to obtain help for victims, they demanded that issues such as honour based violence should be part of the national curriculum.
The teachers also expressed relief at obtaining new insights and support to discuss sensitive issues such as religion, which previously they were less confident in addressing because of a lack of knowledge or a fear of a community backlash.
Southall Black Sisters has now published its education pack, Changing Hearts and Minds to disseminate lesson plans and best practice. It is also extending the Ambassadors programme to survivors to challenge cultural and religious norms and practices within the community.
The participants, mainly survivors and women from the communities, reported raised awareness of their rights, where to seek help and wanting to do more to tackle the problem. Some were also shocked about the scale and nature of the honour based violence and other forms of gendered violence in their communities. Contexts vary, but the urgent need for the massive transformation of attitudes towards women is evident. In Muslim and non-Muslim countries, we must continue to speak up and challenge injustices and cultural elements that deny the dignity and respect for all women and men.
We must seek, in our hearts and minds, the strength to persevere in this fight. The nightmare of violence and murder will only end when the notion of honour is transformed and upheld by respecting lives, not taking them. She has been a contributing writer for Al-Monitor and other publications. Follow her on Twitter: riadaaa. Riada Asimovic Akyol. Local activists report that these women can end up spending years incarcerated without charge. And in some cases, family members pledge not to harm them, only to kill them afterward.
The Jordanian authorities should follow through on penal code reforms, provide victim-centered protection including shelter for those at risk, and combat harmful norms and gender discrimination that drive such violence through education and public-awareness. The lives of Jordanian women and girls are on the line. Get updates on human rights issues from around the globe.
Join our movement today. Help us continue to fight human rights abuses. It is due to the misunderstanding that Law and Islam both are in favor of such atrocities. Of the women killed in the name of so-called honor almost half of it belong to KPK province. It is important that women know their rights and have a sound knowledge of national and religions laws in order to protect themselves. An awareness team consist of male and female field officers will be sent to villages where they would organize awareness sessions against honor killings with the help of the influential people and religious leaders of the villages.
Separate sessions for men and women will be held where information against honor killings will be provided through references from religious literature and nations humanitarian acts. Information leaflets against honor killings shall also be distributed for impact.
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