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Asian suicides may be 'honour' killings
December 7, 2004
The deaths and disappearances of hundreds of Asian women are to be reviewed to
ensure they were not victims of "honour" killings.
The suicide rate among Asian women is almost three times that of the general
population.
Experts fear many may have been killed or driven to take their own lives after
being persecuted for bringing perceived "dishonour" on their family.
The issue is being examined at a conference in London Monday where police and
prosecutors will be encouraged to go back through previous cases.
Nazir Afzal, the director of the Crown Prosecution Service in west London,
said: "It is a growing problem - even more so in the last three years then
previously before that."
Mr Afzal told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "As far as I am concerned, this
has perhaps not been on our radar for quite some time. It certainly has been on
the police’s radar for some time but the Crown Prosecution Service has perhaps
been a bit sensitive in its handling of this matter. Now we are out there
trying to learn from experiences that others have got.
"Yes, we have a problem with victims and witnesses coming forward. There is a
reluctance on the part of victims because they obviously don’t want to get
their families into trouble. But our primary duty is to ensure the safety of
these people. Once we have done that we will think about the investigation and
prosecution."
Being a rape victim or simply have a song dedicated to them on a radio could be
seen as a source of shame, Mr Afzal said. "As far as I’m concerned, there is no
justification for that. Whilst I understand why it might happen, I don’t accept
it."
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