Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 45

Paragraph
Paragraph text
Honour killings take many forms, including direct murder; stoning; women and young girls being forced to commit suicide after public denunciations of their behaviour; and women being disfigured by acid burns, leading to death. Honour crimes are also linked to other forms of family violence, and are usually committed by male family members as a means of controlling women's sexual choices and limiting their freedom of movement. Punishment usually has a collective dimension, with the family as a whole believing it to be injured by a woman's actual or perceived behaviour, and is often public in character. The visibility of the issue and the punishment also serves a social objective, namely, influencing the conduct of other women.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Body
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Means of adoption
N.A.
Topic(s)
  • Harmful Practices
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Families
  • Girls
  • Women
  • Youth
Year
2012
Paragraph type
Other
Paragraph number
45