While not culturally common in Scandinavia, honour crimes are a regular occurrence in certain strict societies, including Afghanistan, Iran and Somalia. A dramatic 300 percent increase in the number of honour crimes reported in Denmark over the last four years is concerning Danish authorities.
New figures released by the National Organisation of Shelters for Battered Women and their Children (LOKK) indicate that the number of ethnic minority youths seeking help with honour crimes is steadily rising. There were more than 400 so-called honour crimes registered within the last four years, and no one knows how many more went unreported.
Since 2005, LOKK has been helping these young people with interfamily conflicts. Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper reports that LOKK counselled 101 people in 2005 who knew someone, or who were themselves, victims of such a situation. By 2008 that figure had risen to 397.
LOKK’s Lene Johannesson said that young women subjected to honour related attacks make up the bulk of the cases. Many of the calls are from young immigrant women who found a Danish boyfriend against the wishes of their parents. Other honour crimes include forced marriages, threats, violence, and even being returned to their home country for ‘re-education’.
“There have been threats about locking them up or sending them back to their homeland. We also see threats of violence,” said Johannesson. “But we also deal with those who just want to behave like other Danish kids – going out at night and making their own decisions about education and so on.”
WELL MIB.HG IT SEEMS THAT IN ICELAND IS A LOT LEFT TO DO FOR PROTECTING WOMEN FROM THEIR ICELANDIC ABUSIVE HUSBANDS
JUST THIS WEE ON AN ICELANDIC NEWSPAPER:
“HJÁ AFLINU HEFUR ORÐIÐ VART VIÐ AUKIÐ OFBELDI Í KJÖLFAR EFNAHAGSKREPPU
MUN FLEIRI LEITA SER AÐSTOÐAR. AFLSKONUR ORIÐIÐ ÞESS VARAR AÐ VÆNDI HEFUR AUKIST MIKIÐ Á AKUREYRI
GRÍÐARLEG AUKNING EÐA SEM NEMUR 93% VARÐ Á STARFSEMI AFLSINS Á NORÐURLAND, SYSTURSAMTAKA STÍGAMÓTA, Á MILLI ÁRA 2007-2008 OG MIÐAÐ VIÐ HVERNIG YFIRSTANDANDI ÁR FER AF STAÐ ER BÚIST VIÐ AÐ AUKINING MILLI FYRRA ÁRS OG ÞESSA VERÐI SÍST MINNI.
ANNA MARÍA HJÁLMARSDÓTTIR ÖNNUR AF FORVARSMÖNNUM AFLSINS: …OFBELDI BRJÓTIST OFT FRAM Í EFNAHGASPRJENGINGUM OG REKJA ÞÆR AUKNINGU Í KOMUM… ÆTTINGJAR OG NÁGRANNAR HAFA TIL DÆMIS OFT SAMBAND VIÐ OKKUR OG GREINA FRÁ OFBELDI SEM ÞEIR VERÐA VARIR VIÐ INNI HEIMILUM, FÓLK ER MEÐVITARA, OPNARA OG VEIGRAR SÉR EKKI EINS MIKIÐ OG ÁÐUR VAR VIÐ AÐ LEITA UPPLÝSINGA” ÞA´NEFNDI HÚN AÐ ALLTTAF SÉ EITTHVAÐ UN AÐ KONUR BÚI Í OFBELDISSAMBÖNDUM, VIÐ ÁSTAND EINS OG NÚ ER ÞEGAR ATVINNULEYSI ER MIKIÐ OG FJÁRHAGSÁHYGGJUR AÐ SLIGA MARGA”
IN ENGLISH, ONE OF THE REPRESENTANTS OF THE ASSOCIATION THAT HELP WOMEN THAT ARE VICTIMS OF HOME VIOLENCE IN ICELAND HAVE SAID THAT DURING THIS TIME OF ECONOMICAL CRISIS VIOLENCE HAS INCREASED A LOT SINCE THE LAST YEAR.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN ICELAND IS A VERY WIDE AND EXTENDED PROBLEM. MUCH WORSE THAN PEOPLE MIGHT THINK. SOCIETY IN GENERAL HAVE LITTLE OR NONE INFORMATION AND THEY SAID THAT PEOPLE IS GETTING MORE INVOLVED IN SEARCHING FOR HELP AND DENOUNCING WHEN CASES OCURR NEAR THEM. BUT THE PROBLEM IS THERE.
THE ARTICLE WAS EDITED ON VIKUDAGUR, A LOCAL NEWSPAPER OF THE NORTH OF ICELAND. ON WEDNESDAY 8TH OF APRIL OF 2009.
VIOLENCE AGAINST ICELANDIC WOMEN IS ALSO HORRIBLE.
I WOULD LIKE THE EDITORS OF ICENEWS TO PUBLIC MORE ARTICLES THAT SHOW THE DRAMATIC SITUATION MANY PERSONS SUFFER IN ICELAND. SPECIALLY WOMEN SUBJECT TO HOME VIOLENCE, ABUSSED CHILDREN, YOUNGS AND THE INCREASING PROBLEM OF DRUGS AND PROSTITUTION, AND THE SITUATION OF NEW ICELANDERS AND RACISM.
WE NEED TO PUBLIC MORE NEWS THAT HELP TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING, CREATE SOCIAL DEBATE AND HELP THIS SOCIETY TO OVERCOME THIS PROBLEMS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL CAN EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH THE VICTIMS AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT ALONE.
STÖNDUM SAMAN FYRIR RÉTTLÆTI !!
IT IS SAD, STILL, WE SHOULD ALSO BE AWAKE FOR THE CRIMES THAT HAPPEN WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR CULTURE ( WESTERN), AND THAT AFFECT OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE, AS THE WOMEN, UNABLE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. ABUSE OF CHILDREN AND PROSTITUTION IS BECOMING A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN SCANDINAVIA. PEOPLE IN SCANDINAVIA IS STARTING TO DENOUNCE. FOR EXAMPLE IN ICELAND AN AUTHENTIC MASS DENOUCING TOOK PLACE DURING THE LAST THREE YEARS. IMAGINE HOW BAD THE SITUATION IS THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REPORTING CASES OF ABUSE THAT HAPPENED 20 YEARS AGO … MARRIED WOMEN, WITH CHILDREN, WHERE REPORTEDLY DENOUNCING HOW THEY SUFFERED ABUSE BY THE HANDS OF THEIR FATHERS ( OR BOTH PARENTS) OR SOMEONE IN THE FAMILY.
I ATTENDED MYSELF A CONFERENCE IN WICH AN ICELANDIC WOMAN WAS PUBLICLY TELLING ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE. IT IS A GREAT AND NECESSARY STEP FOR SCANDINAVIA.
WE SHOULD BE VERY AWAKE TO UNDERSTAND AND ADMIT THAT IN ALL HUMAN GROUPS EXIST SOME KIND OF CRIME THAT SEEMS TO AFFECT THOSE WHO ARE WEAKER OR HAS LESS POSSIBILITIES FOR DEFENDING THEMSELVES. SCANDINAVIA HAVE TAKEN BIG STEPS IN PROTECTING WOMAN. STILL, THOSE WHO CAUSE PAIN AND ABUSE HAVE BEEN PLACING THEIR ATTENTION NOW SPECIALLY IN YOUNG PEOPLE, KIDS AND TEENAGERS WHO USE INTERNET WIDELY AND USUALLY WITHOUT ANY SUPERVISION. IN ICELAND WE HAVE HAD A WIDE CAMPAIGN ON THE MEDIA CALLING FOR PARENTS TO PUT MORE ATTENTION TO THE WAY THEIR CHILDREN USE THE INTERNET.
HOME VIOLENCE IS INCREASING IN THE CULTURAL GROUPS OF ISLAMIC ORIGIN. MAINLY BECAUSE THOSE GROUPS HAVE BEEN GROWING DURING THE LAST 10 YEARS AND NOW WE CAN FIND SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION MUSLIMS EVERYWHERE IN EUROPE. BUT WHAT IS MORE STUNNING IS THAT HOME VIOLENCE AND ABUSE OF TEENAGERS AND CHILDREN HAVE SURPRISINGLY MULTIPLIED BY 4, FOR EXAMPLE, IN DANISH HOMES ( OF DANISH HERITAGE).
when you live in a foreign country , you should respect the customs of that country , in this case in a Western country you should respect human rights and women’s rights , If you do not understand or accept this concept should go back to your country , and live your life the way that most pleases you . RESPECT