KILLING IN THE NAME OF HONOUR

ITS CAUSES & CONSEQUENCES

Ana Arabuli

12 November, 2020
 The concept of honour

“Because they have freely chosen their fiancés, because

they are suspected of having had a premarital sexual
relationship or because their behaviour is considered
“immoral”, each year thousands of women are sentenced to
death by their families in the name of honour.”

-Amnesty International USA

 Features of honour crime
❏ Planned; The planning and execution involve several family member

❏ The community is involved

❏ The motive - woman has dishonoured her family

❏ Extremely violent and barbaric acts (decapitation, disembowelment, slitting of the throat, acid
attacks, stoning)

❏ The perpetrators are seen more as Heroes

❏ The aim - accomplish a duty to restore honour to the family

 International Human Rights Foundation
● Article 1 of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
● The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination of All Forms Against Women
(CEDAW)
● Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and
domestic violence,The Article 42

“ Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that, in criminal
proceedings initiated following the commission of any of the acts of violence covered by the
scope of this Convention, culture, custom, religion, tradition, or so-called honor shall not
be regarded as justification for such acts. ”
 WHY ARE HONOUR KILLINGS A HUMAN RIGHTS
ISSUE?
❏ Honour killings self-evidently violate the right to life

❏ The freedom from torture and inhuman treatment

❏ The right to personal liberty and security of person

❏ The right to privacy

❏ The right to health

❏ The positive obligations the related principle of non-refoulement

Sweden and the ECtHR, A.A. and others v. Sweden
Articles 2 (right to life) or 3 (prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment) of the Convention
 Problematic Approaches in Middle East

❏ The gender-biased attitudes of the police, corruption and lack of resources

❏ Middle Eastern states, have discriminatory provocation defences in their criminal codes
(e.g. in Pakistan)

Syrian Penal Code, Article 192: “Judge excuses or reduces the punishment if a person
commits a crime under honor.”

❏ Discriminatory application of general provocation and extenuating circumstances provisions

(Jordanian Penal Code)
 'Honour' crimes in the EU
❏ The Netherlands

14 murders were committed in the name of honour in 2007, 11 in 2008 and 13 in 2009

❏ Belgium

17 honour crimes or attempts at honour crimes had been identified between 2004 and 2008

❏ Sweden

In 2004, 1,500-2,000 girls and young women had been victims of honour-related violence and
oppression

❏ Germany

From 1996 to 2007, 88 cases of honour crimes were mentioned, with 72 deaths and 20 attempts that
did not lead to death.
Gender-based Violence in Georgia
 CRIMINAL CODE OF GEORGIA

Article 531 – Aggravating factors for punishment

1. Commission of crime on the basis of race, skin colour, language, sex, sexual orientation, gender,
gender identity, ….shall be an aggravating factor for liability for all respective crimes.
2. Commission of crime by one family member against another family member, …….shall be an
aggravating factor for liability for all respective crimes.

Article 109 – Intentional killing under aggravating circumstances

d1) on grounds of gender identity;

f) against a family member, –
❏ Honour Killing Cases in Abkhazia
Recommendations
Immigration policy National awareness- Personal protection
raising campaigns
Investigation in a Legal aid/psychological
sensitive manner rehabilitation
Special educational
Increase knowledge of programmes
Safe and confidential
the causes and environment
consequences Training to law
enforcement officers, Support financially
Female presence on the judiciary and social
judicial bodies dealing workers
with such cases

Legal Preventative Protective

 References

MANUAL FOR POLICY MAKERS, INSTITUTIONS AND CIVIL SOCIETY, COMBATING

HONOUR CRIMES IN EUROPE

Briefing December 2015 EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service Author: Martina
Prpic Members' Research Service PE 573.877 EN Combating 'honour' crimes in the EU

INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HONOUR KILLINGS AS HUMAN RIGHTS

VIOLATIONS By KATJA LUOPAJÄRVI

PUBLIC DEFENDER OF GEORGIA | 2020, REPORT ON FEMICIDE MONITORING 2014-2018

ECHR Factsheet – Violence against women

Thanks you!