Honor crime is the killing of a family member by one or more fellow family members. The murderer believes the victim to have brought dishonor upon the family.

Human Rights Watch defines honor crime to be a murder committed by male family members against female family members for a variety of reasons.

The reasons include refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of asexual assault, seeking a divorce—even from an abusive husband—or (allegedly) committing adultery.

Dr. Kinda Shamat, a lawyer, a women rights activist, and a lecturer in the faculty of law, said: “the reasons behind honor crime in Arab societies are because of fundamental social ideas related to honor, dignity, and traditions. Even if you go back to the first sin, it’s always Eve who is always looked at as a mobile object of seduction.”

“These concepts have devoted the masculine ‘right’ to wash women’s honor. Women are still thought to be housewives, or waiting for a groom, or representative of the family’s honor.” Dr. Kinda added.

The ministry of interior has conducted a study in 2009 and they found that there are 28 honor crimes every year, but these are only the cases that have reached the ministry.

The UNFPA estimates that annual total of honor crimes worldwide is as high as 5,000.

Syrian women observatory, an independent forum interested in social issues in Syria especially related to women estimates that 200 women are killed every year in Syria of honor crimes.

Why does it happen?

The practice of ‘honor killing’ has been practiced since ancient Roman times, when the pater families, or senior male within a household, retained the right to kill an unmarried but sexually active daughter or an adulterous wife.

Europe has been familiar with the practice since ancient empires under Christian and Jewish law in which crimes such as adultery were punished often with stoning.

In Syria, in tribal and rural areas, honor crimes are done to retain the family’s honor.

In a culture that believes the family’s honor lies in a hymen of one of the females of the family.

Most of the time, the motive is claimed to be a sexual violation of the norm or as small as talking to a guy. Honor crimes are byproducts of the violation of tribal-social sexual order. It is important to note that it is the women who are punished for these
sexual misconducts.

“Honor crimes are the cruelest expression of the masculine cultures. The reasons vary from a woman’s decision to get married without the consent of the family, marrying someone from a different religious sect, or a behavior that the parents think is ‘indecent’, and finally taking over an inheritance share by the husband or the brothers.” Said Bassam Alkadi, director of SWO.

Honor killings are sometimes performed even against a woman who is raped, for her rape supposedly dishonors the family. A raped single woman will also garner no bride price if she marries, and thus she will be "worthless" to the family.

Sixteen-year-old Zahra Ezzo, a victim of honor crime, died in October after a brutal attack. But it was her brother who confessed to killing her – and her family motivated her brother to commit the murder.

Zahra's murder happened in the capital and compelled Syria's grand mufti, cleric Ahmad Hassoun, to condemn the crime to the public where he called for the instant protection of girls at risk and for official reform saying such crimes are un-Islamic.

Syria's law is merciful for a man who kills or injures his female relative if he catches her in "illegitimate sexual acts with another," or in a "suspicious state with another." If Zahra's brother is tried under this law, he might get out of jail in three months. President Bashar al-Assad has also promised to find a solution.

Tribal mentality, male-dominated culture, and the classical theory of the man’s right to control a woman’s life are the main driving forces for honor crimes.

In societies where honor crimes take place, the woman’s virginity represents the honor of the family. The male members are protectors of that ‘honor’. In case, that ‘honor’ code was violated, males have to restore the family’s honor by killing the violator.

What is being done about it?

The Syrian Woman Observatory assigned the 29th of Oct of each year a day of international solidarity with victims of ‘honor crimes’.

A national forum on honor crimes took place in Damascus in cooperation with the ministry of justice, the Syrian commission for family affairs, and the ministry of religious affairs. The forum issued recommendations in a hope to find audience.

“We have launched a campaign to fight honor crime in September, 2005 and the campaign is still going on. The campaign aims to spread awareness and put on more pressure on the government to change the laws related to honor crimes. This work includes many aspects which cover all the Syrian media, some religious men, and a lot of NGOs.” Said the director of the SWO, Bassam Alkadi.

The three parties that participated in the forum sum up the three authorities that could be heard by the Syrian public. They, on the other hand, said the laws related to confront the honor crime aren’t of either a legal or religious basis. So, they concluded that it is an illegal law by all means.

They also demanded the change of the law to one that executes justice and equality in the Syrian society.

They demanded to establish a police patrol for family affairs to monitor the execution of family affairs law in relation to violence of all types.

But that is only possible through increasing awareness by state bodies, NGOs, media, and also by targeting school education to enhance the culture of equality in both the legal system and the religious speech.

This campaign came out with a petition to end the practice, and it was signed by 10,000 people. It addressed to the president of the Syrian Arab Republic asking to change the law.

The grand mufti, Ahmad Hassoun who participated in the campaign explained that the Islamic law requires four witnesses for adultery saying it is almost impossible and high burden of proof. It is highly unlikely someone can be found guilty of it.

The mufti believes, the change needs to start in educating people, and being tolerant especially when it comes to religious preachers.

Dr. kinda Shamat, attended the forum and she confirmed, “ it is good we have reached to amend the article 548, and to reach for two years imprisonment of the criminal, but that’s not enough. The man is still the one who benefits from the article and we don’t want anyone to benefit. We want justice to prevail and we are still working with government bodies and NGOs to get a separate juridical institution for family affairs.”

What is not being done?

Amendment of the law that address honor crime is an essential and first step to protect women’s right.

In the Syrian law, Article 548 states that "He who catches his wife or one of his ascendants, descendants or sister committing adultery or illegitimate sexual acts with another and he killed or injured one or both of them benefits from an exemption of penalty."

In July 2009, president Bashar commanded the cancellation of article 548 of punishment laws, which stated the decrease of the penalty of a man who kills a woman in the family if provoked because of “illegal sexual activities”. However, the man isn’t punished if he himself committed such activities.

The new text of the same article punishes the killer in a maximum of two years jail.

Article 192, killing of an honor motive still exists in spite of the efforts of the NGO’s demand to cancel or amend the article.

“the immediate intervention in confronting the crime itself whether through providing a safe place for women to protect her from danger(this happened very few times) or legal intervention by prosecuting the criminal and depriving him from benefiting of the legal flexibility. Both cases are attributed to the basic shortcoming of our weak capabilities/resources.” said Bassam Alkadi.

What more should be done?

“We need to train judges, lawyers, policemen on SEDAW, to be objective and not take judicial matters personally. We also need to amend the personal code, and penalty law to reach for a complete justice, and we are working on it.” Dr.kinda said.

“I hope that article 548 and the honor motive that could get the criminal a pardon. We need radical changes, and hopefully we will reach them in the near future.”

Judges and lawmakers need to investigate the real motives behind the ‘honor crimes’ as in many cases it turned out to be money.

In many terrible recorded cases, the culprit has faked an ‘honor crime’ to be in reality a marital conflict or a classical motive like money.

Years ago, an ‘honor’ crime took place in Aleppo and after investigating the crime by a keen judge, the motive turned out to be money.

The brother invited his friend to his place and shot him with his sister. Then, he took off their clothes to leave them naked in a compromising position.

The culprit claimed he found them like this when after investigation his motive was his sister’s inheritance. He is now serving a sentence of a murder of the first degree.

No body knows how many other similar cases go unnoticed.

No women can be protected of an act of killing unless legal changes are introduced. This will take political will to actually happen. Until then, women in Syria will still be at risk.

“Basically we are waiting for results of a current government talk that is happening now. The government is now studying amending article 192 of the penalty code. Killers have benefited the most of this article. Meanwhile, we are offering our usual work in spreading the awareness and trying to confront the reasons behind these crimes.” said Bassam Alkadi.