Print
See related documents
Resolution 1681 (2009)
Urgent need to combat so-called “honour crimes”
1. Drawing attention
to its Resolution 1327
(2003) on so-called “honour crimes”, the Parliamentary Assembly
notes that the problem, far from diminishing, has worsened, including
in Europe. It mainly affects women, who are its most frequent victims,
both in Europe and the rest of the world, especially in patriarchal and
fundamentalist communities and societies.
2. All forms of violence against women and girls in the name
of traditional codes of honour are considered to be so-called “honour
crimes” and constitute a serious violation of fundamental human
rights. Such violence takes various forms, such as “honour killings”,
assault, torture, restrictions on free association, captivity or imprisonment,
and interference in the choice of a spouse or partner.
3. The Assembly firmly denounces these crimes and dismisses any
form of excuse for them: no tradition or culture can invoke any
kind of honour to violate women’s fundamental rights. There is no
honour in so‑called “honour crimes”. The Assembly is determined
to put a stop to this practice as a matter of great urgency.
4. It consequently asks Council of Europe member states to:
4.1. draw up and put into effect
national action plans to combat violence against women, including violence
committed in the name of so-called “honour”, if they have not already
done so;
4.2. provide quality education and training for all, respectful
of girls’ and boys’, women’s and men’s rights, in application of
its Resolution 1669 (2009) on the rights of today’s girls: the rights of tomorrow’s women;
4.3. introduce education with regard to relationships and sexual
and reproductive health for both girls and boys, particularly with
a view to teaching respect for their partners and for fundamental
human rights;
4.4. continue to engage or begin a dialogue with religious
authorities, in order to clarify with them the fact that their religion
requires respect for the life and freedom of every person, and that
so-called “honour crimes” have no religious basis, and invite them
to condemn them and to co-operate in their prevention;
4.5. conduct awareness-raising campaigns in order to change
mentalities and the behaviour which ensues:
4.5.1. among the population in general, in order to make everyone
aware of girls’ and women’s rights and of equality;
4.5.2. among young people, not only to inform them of their rights,
particularly the right to be open about their sexuality and to choose
their partner, and to draw their attention to the existence of so‑called
“honour crimes”, but also to encourage them to report such crimes
if necessary, and to request that their country’s authorities protect
them;
4.5.3. among the communities concerned, particularly minority
ethnic communities or communities of immigrant origin, even at national
level, including adults, so as to promote the rights of girls and
women and to show the intrinsic value of women, as well as men;
4.6. raise awareness among those who work with children, in
education and in the medico-social sector, so as to enable them
to detect the risks of so-called “honour crimes”;
4.7. raise awareness among journalists of the cruelty of such
crimes and invite them to report such crimes and show their inhumanity,
while preserving victims’ dignity and privacy;
4.8. protect and support actual or potential victims:
4.8.1. by creating an adequate provision
of accommodation, geographically located wherever the need exists,
so that they can hide from or be protected from their attackers;
4.8.2. by setting up physical and psychological support programmes
on a long-term basis, so as to enable them to rebuild their lives
physically and psychologically;
4.8.3. by helping them to establish or re-establish financial
independence;
4.8.4. by providing them, if necessary, with a new identity,
as well as police protection;
4.9. set up and publicise a helpline number which will provide
answers to any questions about violence against women, and direct
callers towards emergency assistance facilities;
4.10. introduce either a complete database or draw up statistics
which take account of the concept of so-called “honour crimes”;
this is needed if the problem is to be understood more thoroughly;
4.11. teach the police and judiciary about the complexity of
so-called “honour crimes”, and particularly:
4.11.1. teach the police officers responsible for investigations
how to deal with victims and teach prosecution staff about the specific
nature of these crimes and their identification, to enable them to
collect as much evidence as possible of the specific nature of the
offence when the reported facts give reason to believe that the
crime may have been committed in the name of so-called “honour”;
4.11.2. teach court staff about the specific nature of these crimes,
how to conduct questioning and avoid putting pressure on victims,
and how to deal with cases in accordance with the gravity of the
violence committed;
4.11.3. set up a specialised unit in the prosecution service to
deal with so-called “honour crimes”, so that every individual involved
is charged and, should they travel abroad, are the subject of extradition
requests;
4.12. support non-governmental organisations in host countries
and countries of origin which play a vital role in prevention and
assistance in this field, and which can liaise between immigrant
communities and their countries of origin;
4.13. support and finance the non-governmental organisations
which fight against so-called “honour crimes” and support and accommodate
victims.
5. It asks the national parliaments of Council of Europe member
states to:
5.1. pass legislation,
if they have not yet done so, to make so-called “honour crimes”
offences, providing for penalties commensurate with the gravity
of the acts committed both for their perpetrators and for any accomplices
or any persons ordering such crimes, either by creating a specific
offence or by making provision for penalties to be aggravated;
5.2. provide for fair and equitable compensation commensurate
with the seriousness of the damage suffered by the victim, if necessary
with the assistance of a state-guaranteed fund;
5.3. provide, after having evaluated the risks, judicial protection
for actual or potential victims who report such facts, as well as
for witnesses, including a prohibition on minors in danger leaving
the country;
5.4. provide funding for accommodation, assistance and support
services for victims;
5.5. develop policies and programmes to fight female poverty
and the feminisation of poverty.
6. It encourages the European Centre for Global Interdependence
and Solidarity (North-South Centre) to strengthen its programmes
on gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence and
to continue the dialogue between countries of the North and countries
of the South about the implications of gender equality and the combating
of serious violations of human rights.
7. It resolves to include the fight against the most severe forms
of violence against women in its parliamentary assistance and co-operation
programmes.