Honour Killings: International Human Rights and Crimes Against Women in Turkey

The murder of women and even men by family members in the name of family ’honour’ afflicts many in the Middle East and in migrant communities. The phenomenon strikes deep into the heart of human rights issues and has implications at national and international levels. Leylâ Pervizat argues that honour killings are a form of extrajudicial execution which can only be challenged by looking at its socio-political and economic contexts. Focusing on honour crimes in Turkey, she provides an holistic, interdisciplinary analysis of a large number of legal and non-legal cases, international human rights mechanisms, and initiatives to combat the issue. This study is essential to furthering understanding of honour killings in indigenous and diaspora communities around the world—and identifies hope for eradicating this difficult and culturally-ingrained practice.