IN THE NEWS

Honour killings in Pakistan: little hope of change

In the space of just a few weeks, two cases of honour killings in Pakistan shocked the world. Although some might expect such global outrage and attention to help trigger change, activists in Pakistan do not hold out much hope for improvement in the near future. By Roma Rajpal Weiss Eighteen-year-old Saba Maqsood from Islamabad .. read more

Human rights defender blames Pakistani state for ‘barbaric’ honour killing

TANYA NOLAN: She’s been a fearless advocate for women and a pioneer of human rights law in her home country of Pakistan for more than 30 years. Pro-democracy lawyer and campaigner Hina Jilani says she’s always felt a need to speak out against injustice otherwise she says she has no right to complain about it. .. read more

Hanged Indian woman may be victim of ‘honour killing’

A teenager has been found hanging from a tree in a village in northern India, the fourth woman to die in such a way in recent weeks in Uttar Pradesh state. A post-mortem confirmed death by hanging, but did not find she had been raped as the 19-year-old’s family had alleged. The BBC’s Zubair Ahmed .. read more

‘Honour’ killing: Police asked to record stance of Farzana’s sister

Lahore: District and Sessions Judge Tariq Iftikhar directed police on Monday to record the statement of the sister of the woman who was killed by her relatives in front of the Lahore High Court on May 27. The judge also ordered police to submit challan of the case expeditiously. Khalida Bibi, the petitioner, told the judge .. read more

Forced Marriage still a British Asian issue

The legal age for marriage differs from country to country. In the UK, this age is 18. With parental and participant consent combined, this can go as low as 16. Yet the number of cases that see marriages take place without participant consent is alarmingly high; and among South Asian communities in Britain, forced marriages (FM) are .. read more

Forced marriage victims urged to speak out when new law comes in

POLICE are urging victims to report cases of forced marriage when it officially becomes a crime next week. Anyone affected or those who suspect an offence could take place in the future should get in touch. A forced marriage is where one or both people do not or, in cases of people with learning disabilities, .. read more

Forced marriage: No prosecutions in Scotland under new law

There are calls for maximum jail terms to be increased from three to seven years There have been no prosecutions over forced marriage in Scotland since a law was passed three years ago, the BBC has learned. Forced Marriage Protection Orders can be issued to prevent people being married against their will. Ten orders have .. read more

Forced marriage calls to ChildLine rise, says the NSPCC

The number of children who rang ChildLine worried they could be forced into marriage has nearly trebled in the last three years, the NSPCC has said. Across the UK the number of calls to the charity about forced marriage has risen from 55 calls a year in 2011 to 141 in 2013. Around a quarter .. read more

Forced marriage: Families hire bounty hunters to find fleeing victims

By Lucy Adams Political Correspondent Mariam went through a forced marriage and believes her family hired bounty hunters to find her when she fled Families are hiring bounty hunters to track down the victims of forced marriage who try to run away, the BBC has learned. A woman in Scotland has told how her parents .. read more

Forced marriage outlawed as ministers step up efforts to curb practice

Home secretary Theresa May says new legislation will ensure victims are protected and that they have the freedom to choose Forced marriage is “a tragedy for each and every victim”, home secretary Theresa May said as a new law outlawing the practice came into effect. From Monday forcing someone into marriage in England and Wales will carry .. read more