Author:
Publication: The Telegraph
Date: December 12, 2004
URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/12/06/uhonour.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/12/06/ixportaltop.html
The deaths and disappearances of
more than 100 Asian women could be reopened to rule out the possibility
of "honour killings".
The suicide rate among Asian women
aged 16 to 24 is almost three times that of the general population.
Experts fear 117 women who died
over the past 10 years may have been killed or driven to take their own
lives after being persecuted for bringing perceived "dishonour" on their
families.
The issue is being examined at a
conference in London where police and prosecutors will be encouraged to
reopen previous cases.
The cases mostly involve families
from South Asia, but also include families from the Middle East, Africa
and eastern Europe.
Ken Macdonald, the director of public
prosecutions, said: "This is an area of hidden crime.
"There is a significant level of
crime which needs to be unearthed, investigated and prosecuted.
"It's about reassuring people that
when they come forward as witnesses we will look after them."
He added: "It is mainly a cultural
challenge. We have to get inside these communities and that obviously presents
challenges.
"We're talking here about crimes
of murder in dreadful circumstances. There is no defence of honour to this
kind of crime - when they are uncovered these crimes will be prosecuted
relentlessly.
The initiative follows recent convictions
in "honour killings", including the murder of Sahjda Bibi, 21, who was
stabbed to death by her cousin on her wedding day because he objected to
her marrying a divorced man.
Nazir Afzal, Crown Prosecution Service
director for west London, said: "It is a growing problem - even more so
in the last three years then previously before that."
He gave examples of two cases in
which a girl from West Yorkshire was taken abroad and killed after after
a love song was dedicated to her on a radio station.
The other case involved a young
woman from Newham, east London, who was killed by relatives after they
accused her of bringing dishonour on their family by being raped.
Mr Afzal told the BBC Radio 4 Today
programme that police had been aware of the problem but that the Crown
Prosecution Service had been "a bit sensitive" towards the cases.
"This has perhaps not been on our
radar for quite some time," he said. "Now we are out there trying to learn
from experiences that others have got.
"Yes, we have a problem with victims
and witnesses coming forward.
"There is a reluctance on the part
of victims because they obviously don't want to get their families into
trouble.
"But our primary duty is to ensure
the safety of these people. Once we have done that we will think about
the investigation and prosecution."
