Two hundred murder cases in the UK have been reopened to investigate whether ‘honour killings’ were the real cause of death. Anjli Raval explores the growing phenomenon within UK Asian communities.

‘Honour Killings’ continue to be a problem in the UK with Home Office figures suggesting that there are around 12 such murders each year, although police believe the genuine figure is much higher. In a recent BBC poll of 500 Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Christian UK Asians, 10% said that they would condone the murder of an individual who had disrespected their family honour.

Killing in the name of honour is often considered a private matter. However, in recent years, more and more cases have reached UK courts. Nonetheless, many crimes still remain unresolved and undetected. The crime is usually committed by male family members against female relatives, and in some cases mothers and sisters are also involved.

The practice of honour killings is most prevalent within Muslim families in the Middle East. Victims in the UK tend to be from Middle-Eastern and South East Asian backgrounds and common reasons for the murder of a family member, include the refusal to enter into an arranged marriage, committing adultery, seeking a divorce, or adopting a Western attitude. In some cases, victims of rape and sexual assault are murdered for the ‘dishonour’ they have brought to the family.

Dr Aisha Gill, a Senior Lecturer at Roehampton University and an expert on the issue said, “The cases that have been reported in recent years show that there is still limited knowledge of the impact of ‘honour’-based violence and little resistance to so-called ‘honour’ killings in communities where it is prevalent.”

This statement comes in light of the murder of Banaz Mahmood, a 20 year old Kurdish woman who was found buried in a suitcase in a garden in Birmigham. Her father and uncle were found guilty in June 2007 of murdering her, because she had fallen in love with a man her family did not want her to marry.

YUSU Academic and Welfare Officer, Grace Fletcher-Hall said, “People need to get it into their heads that ‘culture’ is no excuse for denying women their basic human rights - every man and every woman has the right to live their lives without fear of violence.”

It was disclosed in court that Mahmood had told the police on four occasions that her family were trying to kill her, but her claims were dismissed as melodrama. The Metropolitan Police Force has been criticised for its handling of Banaz’s case with five officers facing an internal disciplinary inquiry.

Since the death of Mahmood, police chiefs have re-opened 200 cases of deaths and murders between 1996 and 2006 to see if ‘honour killings’ were the actual cause of death. Since then, 19 have fallen into this category with a further 20 involving some element of ‘honour’ violence.

Kate Nevens from End Violence Against Women, an organisation allied to Amnesty International, said, “we believe that a more holistic, strategic approach needs to be taken with regards to violence against women. The government lacks a coherent and concerted approach to preventing violence happening in the first place.”

Marie-Anne Rogers, YUSU’s Women’s Officer, said, “The media attention given to recent ‘honour killings’ can only be beneficial in making the public aware of the horrific crimes some women have suffered. Whether in Britain, or elsewhere, it is never acceptable”.

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