Girls and young women between the ages of 14 and 25 are the most common victims. The motives of the relatives of the husbands vary: revenge, obsession, jealousy, suspected infidelity, sexual non-cooperation, or simply being told 'no'.
The women are often ostracized by their families after the attacks and are unable to find jobs. They are confined to their homes in social isolation.
"Gender based violence and horrific examples like honor-killing are common in too many societies that still accept discrimination, exploitation and violence against women" said Andrea Bottner, the director of the Office of International Women's Issues at the U.S. Department of State. "In too many parts of the world women still do not have full protection under the law or equal access to justice. This is unacceptable". |
