英国论坛
Roehampton University(罗汉普顿大学)
所在地区:英格兰所在城市:LondonTIMES排名:80
一键免费快速申请文章正文综述详细专业照片新闻校友录已获Offer学生资料Roehampton University’s expert on ‘honour killings’ Dr Aisha Gill has called for full, immediate, and coordinated investigations into all cases of abduction and murder of women in the name of “honour”.Roehampton University’s expert on ‘honour killings’ Dr Aisha Gill has called for full, immediate, and coordinated investigations into all cases of abduction and murder of women in the name of “honour”.
Her comments have been prompted by the sentencing of Bachan Athwal and her son Sukhdave following the disappearance and murder of Surjit Athwal. Bachan, 70, was told by an Old Bailey judge that she must serve a minimum term of 20 years in prison before she is eligible for release. Sukhdave, 43, Surjit's husband, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years for his part in the murder. Bachan, a mother of six and grandmother of 16, ordered Surjit's death at a family meeting after discovering her daughter-in-law had been having an affair and wanted a divorce.
In an impact statement, her brother Jagdeesh Singh Dhillon, spoke of the children and family she left behind, and the high hopes she had for her life, taken from her at the young age of 27.
Judge Giles Forrester described the murder as a ‘heinous’ crime and told mother and son: "The pair of you decided that the so-called honour of your family members was worth more than the life of this young woman”.
An expert on violence against women, Dr Gill said the case highlighted the need for improved measures that would ensure that international standards were followed, and effective search procedures established across all agencies in monitoring violence against women.
Surjit Athwal, a 27 year-old-woman from Hayes, Middlesex, disappeared whilst on holiday in India Punjab in 1998. Surjit was planning to divorce her husband a few days before she undertook a trip to village Aulakh Kalan in Punjab with her mother-in-law. The latter returned, but Surjit did not. The first information Surjit’s family received about her was from an anonymous caller in India who said she had been strangled and her body dumped into river Ravi. Her body has never been found.
Dr Gill said that in Asian communities, violence against women is still commonly regarded as a private or family issue, rather than a violation of women’s rights. As such, there continues to be considerable reluctance from the criminal justice institutions and the public to intervene in cases of the murder of women where “honour” is used as a mitigating factor.
She said that under-reporting is a major obstacle to fully grasping the incidence and prevalence of violence against women in the name of “honour”.
“Individuals affected by this form of violence or abuse don’t report it because they believe others will view it as a private matter. They think others will not believe them, or fear reprisals from the offender’s family or community,” she said.
“More needs to be done to help support-groups and organisations to encourage victims to come forward. There is also much each individual can do to stop violence in their community and bring to justice those who commit acts of violence against women.
“As violence in its many forms continues to be a part of women’s everyday experiences, we become more and more desensitised to its effects. We need to understand the risks and protective factors that affect women’s ability to cope as well as understand the motivations and mechanisms of violence. It is only when we identify how acts of violence against women are interrelated to fully grasp the scope of this pandemic problem that can we adequately address the impact of violence in a meaningful way.”
