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Four strategic priorities to change the lives of women and girls.
Credit: Global Plan of Action (WHO p.17)
Intrafamily femicide in defence of honour: The case of Jordan
Study
Asia and the Pacific
Defining "Honour Killing"
"Honour killings are the killings of women for deviation from sexual norms imposed by society. This phenomenon is comparable to the emphasis on the chastity of wives in Victorian mortality. ‘The honour ethic as it applies to women’s sexuality is not specific to Islam, but exists in many other non-Muslim societies.’ A man’s honour is closely related to the behaviour of his female relatives, not only in Muslim or Arab societies, but in Western societies such as Spain and Portugal."
(Faqir, 2001, pg. 69)
A violence or rape-prone society is one in which ‘sexual assault by men of women is either culturally allowable or, largely, overlooked’. There are many types of violence against women in Jordan that go unchecked, such as domestic violence. Most women withdraw their charges against their male relatives just before the case goes to court, afraid to be deprived of housing, custody and/or financial support. This failure works as an incitement to the killing of women for alleged sexual transgressions. Thus violence against women is normalised, leading to the normalisation of femicide for the family’s honour.
