Cutting red tape – costing lives
Tweet The Association of Chief Police Officers has announced that the DASH checklist, the primary tool used to identify women at risk of ‘honour’-based violence is to be scrapped in order to ‘cut red tape’ and ‘concentrate on serious issues.’ Since the murders of Tulay Goren, Heshu Yones and Banaz Mahmod, where failures to recognise the nature of ‘honour’-based violence led to failures to provide protection, IKWRO have campaigned to raise the profile of ‘honour’-based violence. ‘This is a huge step backwards,’ said Director, Diana Nammi. ‘We know that in many areas...
Read MoreToo late for Shafilea
Tweet Brave Alesha Ahmed has finally brought her parents to justice, but it’s too late for Shafilea Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed were convicted today after their daughter Alesha told Cheshire Crown Court that she saw her parents suffocate her older sister Shafilea in September 2003. “By breaking her silence, Alesha Ahmed has ensured justice for her sister Shafilea. She deserves enormous recognition for telling the truth about this brutal ‘honour’ killing, and we hope her bravery will encourage others to come forward,” said Diana Nammi, Director of the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s...
Read MorePRESS RELEASE: IKWRO welcomes Government plans to make forced marriage a crime
Tweet Criminalisation a vital weapon in fight against forced marriage The Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation welcomes the Government’s announcement today that it plans to make forcing someone to marry a criminal offence. IKWRO has been campaigning for the criminalisation of forced marriage since 2006. “Perpetrators of forced marriage will now be held accountable for their actions and could be sent to prison,” said IKWRO’s Director Diana Nammi. “The UK is sending an unequivocal message to parents who may consider forcing their daughters or sons to marry that their...
Read MoreFGM Zero Tolerance Day – UK must get serious
Tweet PRESS RELEASE FGM Zero Tolerance Day – UK must get serious 6 February 2012 Ahead of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to female genital mutilation (FGM) on Monday, The Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD) and the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKRWO) are calling for a long-term, comprehensive strategy to tackle FGM in the UK. FGM is a form of violence against women and girls and a human rights violation. The practice is illegal in the UK and is classified as a form of child abuse, yet in 2007 it was estimated that more than...
Read MoreIKWRO announces winners of True Honour Awards 2011
Tweet The winners of IKWRO’s first True Honour Awards - an annual prize which has been established in memory of all victims of honour killing – were announced during a special ceremony in London. The first winner is Hanim Goren, the mother of “honour” killing victim Tulay Goren. 15 year old Tulay disappeared in January 1999 after angering her father Mehmet. Hanim Goren suspected that her husband had killed Tulay, but she was too frightened to talk to police because of the risk to her own life. In 2009 Hanim finally decided to break her silence and give evidence...
Read MoreNearly 3000 cases of ‘honour’ violence every year in the UK
Tweet New research by IKWRO has found that more than 2800 incidents of ‘honour’ based violence were reported to police across the UK last year. IKWRO sent Freedom of Information requests to all 52 police forces across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland asking how many incidents of ‘honour’ based violence they had recorded last year. 39 police forces responded with a total of 2823 incidents. IKWRO estimates that a further 500 incidents may have been reported to the 13 forces who did not respond. “These figures demonstrate that ‘honour’ based...
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