- Conference
- 2024 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 2 October 2023
- Decision
- Carried
This Conference notes that:
Statistics show that there is at least one so called honour based killing per month in the UK with 7,000 recorded incidents of abuse. Although many believe the actual numbers are far higher.
Honour killings and abuse take place when a woman or girl is murdered or abused due to the perpetrators’ belief that the victim has brought shame or dishonour upon the family.
In patriarchal societies, the activities of women and girls are very closely monitored. Their virginity and sexual purity are considered to be the responsibility of male relatives.
These crimes are committed within families or community groups with the intention of controlling the behaviour of women and girls. This can include abduction, beatings and rape and is carried out by male family relatives in the name of protecting cultural beliefs or honour.
Victims are alleged to have engaged in “sexually immoral” actions ranging from openly chatting with men who are not related to them, to having sex outside of marriage even though this may have been through rape or sexual assault.
Women are targeted for abuse or murder for a variety of other reasons including refusing to enter into an arranged marriage or seeking a divorce or separation – even from an abusive husband. The mere suspicion that a woman has acted in a manner that could damage her family’s name may trigger an attack and these assumptions are generally based on men’s feelings and perceptions rather than on objective truth.
Support groups promote the 14th July as a day of memory to remember women who have been murdered or subjected to honour based abuse and other harmful practices.
Conference asks the National Women’s Committee to:
1)Lobby and campaign nationally alongside support groups such as Karma Nirvana, True Honour, Savera UK and The Halo Project to campaign and raise awareness.
2. Work with regional women’s groups and service groups to campaign and highlight the issue and give women who are affected an opportunity to seek support.
3. Make plans to support and promote the National Day of Memory on July 14th each year.
ENDS