26/01/2012 Equality and Non-Discrimination
“Governments must apply zero tolerance to so-called ‘honour crimes’, which must be punished by exemplary sentences to show total rejection of this practice”, said Jacqueline Thibault, President of the Foundation ‘Surgir’ (Switzerland), speaking at a hearing organised by the PACE network of contact parliamentarians committed to combating violence against women, opened by José Mendes Bota (Portugal, EPP/CD). “Europe is likely to be increasingly confronted with this problem because of migratory movements”, she added, while reviewing the situation in eight European countries, only four of which currently have national plans in operation.
Hannana Siddiqui, Policy and Research Officer at the NGO Southall Black Sisters (United Kingdom), described the situation in the United Kingdom, where, according to police estimates, twelve women and girls are victims of “honour crimes” every year. Rising religious fundamentalism and a growing tendency for minority communities to assert their distinctive identities have increased pressure on women belonging to those communities. Ms Siddiqui also outlined the strategies adopted by the public authorities to combat this threat.
Ms Liri Kopaçi-Di Michele, Head of Division in the Council of Europe’s Justice and Human Dignity Directorate, discussed so-called “honour crimes” in the light of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). “The drafters of the Convention did not make these acts a separate criminal offence but agreed to prohibit all attempts to justify them on the basis of culture, custom, religion or tradition”, she said.