Description: Honour crimes are an extreme form of violence against women. and girls under eighteen are among the victims. Turkey is one of many countries where such crimes are known to occur. In almost all parts of society, women face family scrutiny with respect to what they wear, where they go, whom they speak to and so on. But in some families, any relations with men other than immediate relatives can be perceived as a source of disobedience or disgrace requiring retribution.

This way of thinking appears to run deepest in families living in, or with roots in, rural Southeast Turkey. In these families, any suspicion about a woman or girl’s behaviour can lead to her being killed - typically by a male member of her own family - to purge the family honour. Even raped women and girls are treated in this way. The decision is sometimes taken by a family council. Families that do not enforce what is referred to as “the custom” may be ostracised by their communities. If the victim hides or runs away, she is likely to be pursued. Sometimes, a male child may be made to commit the murder, in order to benefit from greater remission of sentence when apprehended – although stronger prosecution and sentencing of those who incited the crime may have made this practice less common. In some cases, women or girls are not killed but have their noses mutilated, are forced into unwanted marriages (including marriages with their rapists) or are excluded and rejected by their families and forced to live in another place¹⁸⁸. The man involved in the “dishonourable” incident is sometimes killed or injured as well. In 2006, Yakın Ertürk, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences, travelled to Southeast Turkey to investigate the high suicide level among girls and women, and concluded that these deaths might also be disguised honour killings or forced suicides, or otherwise related to the patriarchal order.

Incidence and trends: Data on honour crimes and forced suicides is not collected systematically. A report on the issue published in 2008¹⁸⁹ reported over 1,100 cases of “ethics and honour killings,” broadly defined, between 2003 and 2007, with no sign of any decline over time. Of these, 9 percent involved children. The killings took place in all parts of Turkey and were most intensive in Istanbul. A correlation was drawn to low levels of education and migration to large cities. Changing social circumstances may be affecting the incidence or nature of honour crimes or the likelihood of children becoming victims, perpetrators and witnesses. For instance, the clash of traditional and modern ways of life may be making women more likely to transcend traditional limits on their behaviour, and men more likely to enforce penalties. As in the case of early marriage, the interplay of cultural and economic considerations may also merit attention.

Response: Since 2004, honour killings have been treated by the Penal Code as aggravated murders and higher sentences have been foreseen for those ordering them. It is also a crime to force someone into committing suicide: putting pressure on someone who is unable to grasp the meaning or consequences of his or her actions to commit suicide is characterized as murder. In 2005-2006, a parliamentary inquiry was held into honour killings and violence against women and children. In July 2006, the Prime Minister issued a circular to public bodies calling for the implementation of the report’s recommendations. Besides a policy of zero tolerance, eliminating honour crimes requires mentality change through communication via community leaders, schools and other channels, and refuge needs to be available and known to potential victims. Organisations which help women and girls at risk and advocate for clarification of the penal sanctions for honour killings include the KAMER foundation, which has centres for women and children in most Southeastern provinces.

[188] Population Association/ United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)/United Nations Development Program (UNDP): The Dynamics of Honour Killings in Turkey A qualitative study conducted in İstanbul, Adana, Şanlıurfa and Batman, 2005

[189] Prime Ministry Human Rights Presidency: Honour Killings Report