Doc. 11348

4 July 2007

The urgent need for action on so-called “honour crimes”

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Austin and others

1. In the United Kingdom, a young woman of twenty was recently killed by her father and uncle, for the “reason” that she was in love with a man her family had not chosen. Her previous complaints to the police had not been taken seriously.

2. This is far from being an isolated case. According to a woman human rights lawyer, so-called “honour crimes”, both those which involve killing and those which do not, are on the increase, not only in the United Kingdom, but also in other European countries.

3. Four years have passed since the Assembly addressed this issue in its Resolution 1327 (2003) on “so-called ‘honour crimes’”. And yet this flagrant violation of women’s basic rights is still, and indeed increasingly, being committed in all parts of the world.

4. Often, silence still surrounds the violence and murder inflicted on the victims: the victims of “honour crimes” are not declared; murders are passed off as suicide, and families say nothing; other women are forced or driven to kill themselves.

5. It is time that states acted effectively and rapidly to put an end to this horrendous practice.

6. In this year dedicated to combating violence against women, the Assembly insists that it is urgently necessary that the Council of Europe’s member states communicate and take effective action on this problem. It is urgently necessary that they make public opinion realise that honour consists in respecting the freedom and choices of young women, and that nothing can justify these crimes. It is urgently necessary that the police be alerted and trained to take appropriate action in situations of this type, assessing the risks and protecting the victims. And it is urgently necessary that the criminals receive exemplary punishment.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed ¹:

AUSTIN John, United Kingdom, SOC

BİLGEHAN Gülsün, Turkey, SOC

BRANGER Jean-Guy, France, EPP/CD

CILEVIČS Boriss, Latvia, SOC

DUPRAZ John, Switzerland, ALDE

LLOYD Tony, United Kingdom, SOC

OHLSSON Carina, Sweden, SOC

PLATVOET Leo, Netherlands, UEL

RUSSELL-JOHNSTON, United Kingdom, ALDE

VERMOT-MANGOLD Ruth-Gaby, Switzerland, SOC

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group