LONDON // Police and religious communities across Europe are mounting new offensives against "honour killings".
The moves follow a string of high-profile cases across the continent when family members have been successfully prosecuted for killing young daughters and other relatives, normally because they refused to take part in arranged marriages or had fallen in love with someone deemed unsuitable.
A case in Britain this month, which ended with a Turkish father being found guilty and ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years for killing his 15-year-old daughter in 1999 because of an affair she was having with a man from a different sect of Islam, was described as "a wake-up call" over the problem of honour killings.
The conviction of Mehmet Goren, the father of Tulay Goren, was possible only because his wife spoke out after 10 years of silence.
The UK case marked the first time that prosecutors called on expert witnesses in an honour crime trial. They were used to describe how the "namus", or family code of honour, worked among Turkish Kurds.
Such developments, plus the establishment of special police units with a greater understanding of honour crimes, are being mirrored in Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy after high-profile cases there.
Far from all of the trials have involved Muslims. Young Hindu and Sikh women who refuse arranged marriages and, particularly, those who fall in love with someone from a different caste, have been victims as well. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that 5,000 women are killed in the name of honour worldwide each year, at least 1,000 in Pakistan.
According to the UN Development Fund for Women, 22 women in India are killed every day in dowry-related murders.
The problem is a relatively new one in Europe, exacerbated by the sudden influx of immigrants in the past two decades.
British police estimate that a dozen women a year are murdered in the United Kingdom in the name of honour, but many others are tricked or forced into travelling back to their home countries to be killed there. A helpline for Kurdish women in the UK gets an average of 1,000 calls a year.
The difficulty for the authorities has been understanding the reasons for these killings and trying to penetrate the code of silence within migrant communities.
Threatened women " seldom go to the police, but they often seek help from the health service or domestic violence charities," said Aisha Gill, a senior lecturer in criminology at London's Roehampton University and an expert on honour killings.
"Professionals in these organisations are urging the government to understand that preventing honour-based violence requires a change in the beliefs and practices that give rise to this type of violence in the first place."
Leading figures in Islam are attempting to curtail honour killings. In Turkey, a group of 80 scholars has been re-examining Muslim traditions in the hadith for the past three years. They eventually plan to publish six volumes, based on the Quran, that reject many controversial practices in the hadith, including honour killings and the stoning of adulterers.
About 250 activists and scholars from 47 countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur this year to launch a group called Musawah ("equality" in Arabic), which aims to bring equality and justice to Muslim family law in legal systems around the world.
Queen Rania of Jordan has also spoken out against honour crimes in her country and has given support to women's rights groups trying to change laws that effectively amount to giving legal impunity to men involved in such killings.
Such initiatives are becoming known by women throughout Europe, mainly because the word is being spread via the internet.
Campaigners say there is still a long way to go. Diana Nammi, who runs the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation in the UK, said that 10 years ago, police did not know how to handle women seeking a safe haven from the threat of an honour killing.
"At best women were treated as victims of domestic violence, an inappropriate strategy," she said. "There is no doubt that more women now have confidence to come forward because changes have been made to the policy and the law; help is available for victims.
"People are also more confident to stand up against killings within communities because they see the perpetrators being held accountable."
She said police, social workers and teachers need training to provide safety for women and young girls.
Ms Gill said: "Honour killings are anything but honourable. They are brutal, premeditated acts of violence perpetrated by the very people who are supposed to protect the victim from harm."
@Email:dsapsted@thenational.ae
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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
NO OTHER LAND
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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David Haye record
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Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
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Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
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Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
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Power: 905hp
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
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Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
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Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
GOODBYE%20JULIA
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AGUERO'S PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD
Apps: 186
Goals: 127
Assists: 31
Wins: 117
Losses: 33
Second ODI
England 322-7 (50 ovs)
India 236 (50 ovs)
England win by 86 runs
Next match: Tuesday, July 17, Headingley
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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