Honour Killings

Honour killings are a horrendous and abhorrent form of domestic abuse and the tragedy lies in the fact that, apart from bringing the perpetrator to justice, nothing can be done following the abuse – the victim never has the opportunity to come through as one of our survivors.

An honour killing is when murdering an individual is considered the only suitable punishment for them bringing shame or dishonour to a family or for violating perceived codes of conduct within a particular community.

Common “reasons” for honour killings have included the victim:

​• Refusing a forced marriage
• Leaving a marriage
• Having an extra marital affair
• Having a relationship before marriage

Perpetrators and victims of honour killings can be male or female, but it is worth noting that victims are more often female and fall prey to individuals who twist cultural or religious doctrine to support their own perceived (and incorrect) interpretations of them.

​Tragically, honour killings are often carried out by the victim’s own relatives and sometimes planned by multiple members of a family. Threatening someone with murder may be used as a way to control their behaviour or actions which are seen as tarnishing a family’s reputation but these threats must always be acted on to mitigate the risk of an honour killing being carried out and the victim never having the chance to become a survivor.