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'Honour' Crimes Inquiry in the UK
Hundreds of suicide cases involving young Asian women are being re-investigated to determine whether they were prompted by so-called 'honour crimes'. They can involve false imprisonment, forced marriages - and even murder, as happened to Heshu Yones, 16. Heshu was stabbed to death two years ago in Acton, London, by her Kurdish father - who believed she had dishonoured the family by having a boyfriend. There are 117 other suspected 'honour killings' currently under investigation in the UK alone. Suicides among such women in Britain are three times the national average.A conference organised by the Crown Prosecution Service is to focus on so-called 'honour crimes' in the Asian community. It will aim to raise awareness of the problem and improve the way such crimes are handled across the criminal justice system. CPS spokesman Nazir Afzal said: "Crimes of honour take the form of many types of violence against women. "Murder, assault, false imprisonment and forced marriage are among them." Among the other speakers will be Meena Patel and Hannana Siddiqui of women's rights group Southall Black Sisters. They will be joined by Foreign Office official Heather Harvey and Jasvinder Sanghera of the Karna Nirvana Refuge in Derby. 'Yvonne Ridley was not available for comment.' Posted by: Bulldog 2004-12-06 |
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