True Honours Awards 2015

We are delighted to announce the nominees and winners of the True Honour Awards 2015. On behalf of IKWRO and all of the judges we’d like to congratulate every nominee for their crucial work to end “honour” based violence and support survivors. Every one deserves recognition and praise. Nominees Afsaneh‬ Afsaneh is a 21-year-old Iranian woman, now living in Turkey. When she was 15, growing up in Iran, her family put pressure on her to marry her cousin. She...
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53% rise in “honour” based violence cases reported to the police

The number of cases of “honour” based violence, forced marriage and FGM reported to the police in the UK has increased by 53% since 2014, IKWRO’s new research shows. The research involved sending Freedom of Information requests to every police force in the country. The number of cases of “honour” based violence recorded by the police increased from 3335 in 2014 to 5595 in 2015, meaning a spike of 68% in cases in the first year following the...
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Iranian & Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation and filmmaker join forces to launch campaign in remembrance of Banaz Mahmod

Ten years ago this week, Banaz Mahmod was brutally murdered and gang-raped by a team of men recruited and managed by her uncle. Banaz was a victim of the repressive codes of “honour” operating within the close-knit Kurdish communities. Forced into marriage at 17 years of age, then divorced after brutal domestic violence, Banaz fell in love with a man she chose, but this was considered to have brought ‘shame’ upon her family. After holding a family council meeting, the family decided that...
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Preventing Suicide

IKWRO asked Information and Research Officer Joanne Payton to write a blog to mark World Suicide Prevention Day based on the research she did with Izaddin Rasool. Every individual suicide feels like a senseless tragedy. Patterns of suicide, multiply this tragedy but give us some hints of what stresses can drive individuals to contemplate taking their own lives. In the UK, the profile of the suicide victim is largely male: often men who have become disconnected from the human relationships of family,...
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Guest blog: In fear of dishonour

When the perpetrators are family Crossposted from Media Diversified [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="155"] Shafilea Ahmed[/caption] Fleeing a forced marriage ten years ago was an instinctive act of survival. Staying would have put me in grave physical harm and may have been the death of my spiritual and emotional self. I left with a carrier bag of clothes. I left without knowing I would have anywhere to stay that night. I left and have never returned. I am haunted...
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IKWRO volunteer helps to deliver training on social media and activism

As I stood at the front of the room with ten young people peering over,  I felt a slight anxiety in the pit of my stomach about having to discuss my past but, as I began to speak, this slowly dissipated. My confidence grew as I discussed how social media can be used to develop solidarity, connect with others and enhance your activism. Indeed it had provided me with a lifeboat to come to terms with my past....
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