PRESS RELEASE: IKWRO demands justice for Mahsa Amini and an end to Iran’s “morality police”

On 16th September in Tehran, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in hospital three days after she was arrested and beaten by the “morality police” who had accused her of not being sufficiently covered by her hijab. The Iranian regime is denying responsibility for the murder of Mahsa, claiming that she died from a heart attack. This is disputed by her family.  We send our condolences and stand in support of Mahsa’s family. IKWRO strongly condemns the Iranian regime, who...
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Liberating ourselves from the concept of ‘virginity’ 

By Rojbîn Arjen Yigit, Volunteer at IKWRO  The fixation with being a ‘virgin’ harms young girls from a young age. Defining a woman’s ‘honour’ by her virginity is a reductive ideology. The Cambridge dictionary defines honour as “a quality that combines respect, being proud and honesty” and therefore for many women, true honour can range from protecting their independence, fighting for their communities freedom, to their right to an education. We must challenge the idea that ‘honour’ is...
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Banaz: An ‘honour’ killing

[caption id="attachment_1600" align="alignleft" width="300"] Still from 'Banaz - A love story'[/caption] Artist and activist Deeyah explains the motivation behind her documentary film Banaz: A love story which features IKWRO. A shortened version of this documentary was shown on ITV on 31st October. (more…)
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Government plan on violence against women and girls: OUR VERDICT

In January IKWRO asked our supporters to write to the Home Secretary and ask her to get tough on ‘honour’ based violence.  Many of you sent emails to Teresa may asking her to increase government efforts to tackle ‘honour’ based violence and to commit to providing training for all public sector workers. That was six weeks ago.  On Tuesday you may have spotted IKWRO’s Diana Nammi in the Guardian, talking about the government's new action plan which was released...
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100 years of International Women’s Day: Still not equal, and some are less equal than others

This blog was also featured on the Independent's website for International Women's Day 2011. Today is the hundredth anniversary of International Women’s Day.  It’s a day to celebrate the progress that women around the world have made in fighting for their rights over the past century.  And it's a day to look to the century to come, the challenges that remain for the world’s women and the obstacles that lie ahead. Despite claims that discrimination is over, women’s rights remain a...
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‘Honour’ based violence – Government plan does not do enough

Press release 7 March 2011 ‘Honour’ based violence - Government plan does not do enough The Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation today welcomed the government’s new action plan on violence against women and girls, but expressed concerns that the document does not do enough to help victims of ‘honour’ based violence. IKWRO Director Diana Nammi said today: “Every single day girls and women in the UK are locked up, threatened, beaten, forced into marriage and even murdered...
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2 minute action: Email the Home Secretary and ask her to get tough on ‘honour’ based violence

  On 9 February Ministers will meet to sign off on a new action plan to tackle violence against women in the UK.  We need your help to ensure that this plan tackles ‘honour’ based violence.  Too often victims of ‘honour’ based violence don’t get the help they need.  Workers in public bodies such as the police, social services and housing authorities need training in how to help women affected by ‘honour’ based violence.  In their new action plan,...
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IKWRO marks the fifth anniversary of Banaz Mahmod’s death with an email campaign to Home Secretary Theresa May

[caption id="attachment_1879" align="alignleft" width="200"] Banaz Mahmod[/caption] Banaz Mahmod was a 20 year old Iraqi Kurdish woman who was accused of bringing shame on her family after she left a violent marriage and began a new relationship with a man she loved.  She was raped, tortured and strangled to death on 24 January 2006: five years ago today. You can help us to ensure that this doesn't happen to other women by sending an email to the Home Secretary...
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Announcing the True Honour Awards!

Do you know someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the fight against ‘honour' based violence?  In 2011, IKWRO will grant two awards in recognition of the hard work and dedication of individuals and organisations who are working to end 'honour' based violence in the UK.  By showcasing some of the most exceptional work, we believe that we can inspire others to take action to prevent 'honour' based crimes. The award is also about turning the concept...
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Two more murderers of Banaz Mahmod sentenced to life in prison

Press release, 12 November 2010 The Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation welcomes the news that the remaining two suspects in the Banaz Mahmod murder trial, Mohammed Ali and Omar Hussain, have been found guilty at the Old Bailey today. Ali was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years and Hussain to 21 years. Initially the Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Governments were reluctant to hand Ali and Hussain over to the UK authorities, but they became the first...
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