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Posts Tagged ‘victims’

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London man convicted of killing ex-partner and baby daughter

Published: December 19th, 2014 Updated: December 19th, 2014

A “monstrous” father has been jailed for 35 years, after being found guilty of hacking to death his former long-term partner and their 22-month-old baby daughter, on the day he was supposed to move out of the family home.

Roland McKoy, 53, of Hackney, east London, inflicted horrific injuries on Valerie Forde, 45, his partner of 18 years, and their youngest child, Real-Jahzara, out of “spite and resentment” at being told he should leave. Their screams were heard by Forde’s eldest daughter, Carrise, 28, who listened via telephone, powerless as he attacked them with a machete, hammer and screwdriver.

Any report of a threat to life made to police by a partner should automatically trigger a risk assessment model, known as Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based violence (Dash) identifier, introduced in 2009 to manage risk and ultimately, to save lives. It takes into account the history of the relationship including previous threats.

 

Read more:http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/17/london-man-convicted-killing-ex-partner-baby-daughter-roland-mckoy

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Cosmopolitan and Karma Nirvana Campaign for Day of Remembrance

Published: August 4th, 2014 Updated: December 1st, 2021

Cosmopolitan beamed a harrowing and poignant image onto the Royal Opera House to coincide with David Cameron’s Girl Summit, in remembrance of the women killed in the name of honour by their own families.

Cosmopolitan’s campaign, in partnership with Karma Nirvana, are dedicated to supporting victims of honour-based violence and forced marriage and pushed the issue to the top of the political agenda during Cameron’s Girl Summit, which took place on the 22nd July.

It tackled the abuse and oppression of women embedded in certain cultures – both at home and abroad – with a focus on female genital mutilation and forced marriage.

An estimated 5,000 women across the world are killed each year for bringing ‘shame’ upon their families; at least 12 of these victims are British, and the true number is thought to be far higher, as many simply ‘disappear’.

Read more: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/womens-issues/cosmopolitan-512063.html#ixzz39LzlRxdt

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Confused by honour killings? Find out what it’s all about

Published: May 12th, 2014 Updated: May 12th, 2014

Unless you’ve been exposed to it, honour-based violence can be quite a complicated issue to understand. Maybe you’ve read about the victims in the newspapers or seen something about it on TV, so you know a bit about what’s involved. But by its nature, honour-based violence is something that happens behind closed doors and isn’t openly spoken about. Here’s Cosmo’s guide to the facts – what it is, why it’s happening, and why something needs to be done to stop it.

So what exactly is honour–based violence?

Honour-based violence (HBV) is the name given to horrific acts of violence on women carried out by their own families in the name of protecting the family’s ‘honour’. For doing things most of us take for granted – like having a boyfriend your family doesn’t necessarily approve of, asking for a divorce or dressing in a Western style – some women are murdered, beaten, and subjected to acid attacks, all at the hands of their parents, siblings, and husbands. 

That’s awful – why would their families do this?

It’s all to do with the idea of honour. Honour is connected to the women in a family – they’re told that it is their job to protect it. The only way a woman can protect it, though, is to do exactly what others expect of her, which means dressing in a certain way, only hanging out with the ‘right’ people and marrying the ‘right’ man – regardless of what the woman herself wants. If she veers at all from this strict path, she is said to have dishonoured her family and it is ‘honourable’ for them to kill her. In these families, death is often considered preferable to divorce.

While honour can bind families together, it can also be used as a tool to oppress women and keep them in line. Mothers are just as likely to perpetrate honour-based crimes if they have been brought up in this culture. Often, the people who carry out these terrible crimes show no remorse – this is because they genuinely believe what they have done is good and right.

Read more: http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/lifestyle/big-issue/cosmo-reports/honour-killings-the-facts#ixzz31Wq6jHNP

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Newham College student organises seminar on FGM and forced marriage

Published: April 15th, 2014 Updated: December 1st, 2021

A 15-year-old student at Newham College organised a seminar on women’s rights that featured speeches by famous campaigners.

Abdul Vijad, who lives in Manor Park, held the seminar at the College’s East Ham Campus as part of his Citizenship GCSE.

Abdul, who was born in India, says he chose to invite speakers to discuss female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage because they affect the lives of many young people.

He said: “We split our class into two groups – one organised forced marriage and the other FGM. “We know that they are culturally sensitive issues and some people don’t want touch them.

“But we also know that if we don’t look at them nothing will ever change.” He added: “FGM can cause physical harm and long lasting health issues. Young people should be aware that forced marriage is a cultural issue, but they should also know that they shouldn’t have to go through it without their informed consent.”

Read More: http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/newham_college_student_organises_seminar_on_fgm_and_forced_marriage_1_3555888?usurv=skip

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Men ‘can play a big part in tackling FGM’

Published: April 7th, 2014 Updated: April 6th, 2014

An anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) campaigner has urged men to play a more prominent role in tackling the issue.

According to Edna Adan, former foreign minister of Somaliland, males have often taken the “easy way out” and dismissed FGM as a “woman’s affair”, the Evening Standard reports.

She has therefore called on men to change their attitudes in order to help eradicate the practice. “The men are my target because these girls have a mother and a father,” Ms Adan commented. “You can put your foot down if you are the head of the family.”

Ms Adan went on to note that attitudes towards FGM are changing around the world and countries are increasingly taking steps to clamp down on the procedure. According to the World Health Organization, FGM offers no medical benefits to girls and women and can make victims vulnerable to a number of health issues later on, such as infection and infertility.

The body also believes people who have undergone the procedure are particularly likely to experience complications when giving birth.

 

Source: http://www.figo.org/news/men-can-play-big-part-tackling-fgm-0012093

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Focus on child marriage in Australia

Published: February 11th, 2014 Updated: October 17th, 2022

The issue of forced marriages is back in the spotlight in Australia, following reports that an imam in New South Wales allegedly married a 12-year-old girl to a 26-year-old man. The imam’s been charged with solemnisation of a marriage by an unauthorised person, while the 26-year-old has been charged with multiple counts of having sex with a child.

But as Erdem Koc reports, it highlights the complexity of the dealing with the issue. While child marriage is often associated with countries in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, it’s also a custom which is practised in some communities in Australia.The case of a New South Wales imam being charged with marrying an underage girl to an adult male has prompted calls for more awareness to be raised about the issue.

Authorities say the girl has been placed in foster care, and the man, who is of a Lebanese background, has been refused bail. New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell has welcomed the charge against the imam.

“I’m delighted charges have been laid against the celebrant who allegedly solemnised this wedding that was clearly illegal. We have rules in this country, in this state, about those who celebrate marriages, whether they’re religious celebrants or civil celebrants, and those rules say people have to be over the age of 18 unless a court has decided otherwise.”

In 2013, the federal parliament passed legislation making the coercing of someone into marriage a serious crime, punishable by up to seven years in prison.

The change was welcomed by child advocacy groups, but they say it still doesn’t go far enough.

The chief executive of the Australian Childhood Foundation, Joe Tucci, says the message needs to be communicated clearly.

Read More: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/02/11/focus-child-marriage-australia

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British Police Failing to Record ‘Honor’ Violence

Published: February 9th, 2014 Updated: February 8th, 2014

(BBC) — One in five UK police forces is failing to properly record cases of so-called honour violence against women, according to a support group.

It said there was a “postcode lottery” when it came to recording such crimes. The report, from the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), also highlighted a lack of proper risk assessment of victims. The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said “significant progress” had been made by forces. The report follows the 2006 killing of Banaz Mahmod, who was murdered by her family because they disapproved of her boyfriend.

Since Miss Mahmod’s murder, police forces are supposed to have had a sharper focus on all honour-based crime, including beatings and death threats. But failings identified in the report included in some areas with communities in which honour-based violence is most likely to occur.

Derbyshire Constabulary, Gloucestershire Constabulary and Staffordshire Police were among those with the most significant failings, according to the report, as well as half of all Scottish police forces before they amalgamated into Police Scotland last April. Diana Nammi, executive director of IKWRO, said there may be only one chance to protect someone at risk from a so-called “honour killing”. ‘Not acceptable’

 

Read More: http://www.aina.org/news/20140206150312.htm

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Forced marriage fear of Preston girl flown to Pakistan

Published: February 8th, 2014 Updated: February 8th, 2014

A teenage girl missing since she flew to Pakistan with her younger sisters may have been forced to marry, a High Court judge has heard.

Alyssa Din, 16, and her sisters Safia, five, and Amani, four – all from Preston – have been missing since flying to Karachi via Islamabad in October.

Their parents Ilyas and Mazeley Din were jailed over their disappearance.

Mr Justice Hayden said he was extremely concerned about Alyssa’s welfare.

‘Brainwashed the children’

Mr and Mrs Din were jailed in December for contempt of court for failing to provide details of their children’s whereabouts.

Mr Din, who is in his late 40s, was given a 12-month term and Mrs Din, who is in her 30s, a six-month sentence.

 

Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-26076914

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Pakistan: Christian Sisters in Hiding After Kidnap and Forced Religious Conversion Attempts

Published: February 8th, 2014 Updated: February 6th, 2014

Washington DC: February 1, 2014. (PCP) Responsible for Equality and Liberty R.E.A.L has received a report of the human rights violations of two women in Lahore, Pakistan. International human rights sources have advised that Christian sisters, “Hina” and “Marina” from Lahore have gone into hiding, after attempts by Islamist extremist to kidnap them, to force marriage on them, and to forcefully convert them to deny their Christian religion.

Mr. Jeffrey Imm, CEO of R.E.A.L said “In accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Responsible for Equality And Liberty continues to support the universal human rights, religious liberty, and freedom for all people, including religious minorities oppressed in Pakistan. We urge the Pakistan authorities to drop any charges against minority Christians being oppressed, harassed, and threatened, including these two Christian sisters, who have reportedly been threatened by attempts at abduction, forced marriage, and forced religious conversion. Responsible for Equality And Liberty also calls for the Pakistan government to end the oppressive blasphemy law used to oppress and harass religious minorities and so many other individuals. Responsible for Equality And Liberty also calls upon on our colleagues in human rights organizations to share this story and call for human rights protection for these sisters”

 

Read More: http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=4681

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