HARVARD HUMAN RIGHTS JOURNAL ONLINE
JANUARY 2015
extreme circumstances, women who bear children outside of marriage may fear so-‐‑
called ‘honor’ crimes, in which family members retaliate against women for
perceived transgressions against the family ‘honor.’31 The United Nations considers
such ‘honor’ crimes as harmful traditional practices that seek to control women’s
sexual choices.32
Human rights groups estimate that 200 women are murdered in Syria in
‘honor’ crimes each year,33 along with an estimated 25 women in Jordan each year,34
89 cases documented in Kurdish Iraq in 2012,35 and 66 reported killings in Lebanon
between 1999 and 2007.36 In 2009, Syria reformed provisions of its criminal code that
granted impunity to men who commit ‘honor’ crimes, but imposed sentences of just
two years for such murders.37 In Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Yemen, and the
occupied Palestinian territories, sentences for attacks on women are often reduced
when family ‘honor’ is cited as the motivation.38 And it is unclear whether criminal
law reform itself would be enough to stop these crimes, as the crimes may continue
after states increase criminal punishments.39 Reforming the law may be insufficient
to protect women without changes in social norms.
Lifelong discrimination against registered non-‐‑marital children
Finally, for children who are registered at birth, official documentation may
mark them as ‘illegitimate,’ exposing them not to statelessness but to a lifetime of
marginalization and discrimination. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on
Violence against Women, in Algeria, “[c]hildren born outside marriage…are
registered and identified as such in official documents. In such cases, girls are
confronted with intersecting layers of discrimination based on their legal status and
Women'ʹs Advocates Push Men to Recognize Paternity, WUNRN (Aug. 14, 2006),
http://www.wunrn.com/news/2006/ 08_14_06/081606_morrocco_single.htm.
31 U.N. Hum. Rts. Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and
Consequences, ¶ 43–50, U.N. Doc. A/HRC/20/16 (May 23, 2012).
32 See generally U.N. ASSISTANCE MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN & OFFICE OF THE U.N. HIGH COMM’R FOR
HUM. RTS., HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAW ON ELIMINATION OF
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN (2010),
http://unama.unmissions.org/Portals/UNAMA/Publication/HTP%20REPORT_ENG.pdf.
33 Syria: No Exceptions for ‘Honor Killings’, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (Jul. 28, 2009),
http://www.hrw.org/news/2009/07/28/syria-‐‑no-‐‑exceptions-‐‑honor-‐‑killings.
34 Jordan: Tribunals No Substitute for Reforms on ‘Honor Killings’, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (Sep. 9, 2009),
http://www.hrw.org/news/2009/09/01/jordan-‐‑tribunals-‐‑no-‐‑substitute-‐‑reforms-‐‑honor-‐‑killings.
35 89 Women Killed, 357 Burnt in Iraq'ʹs Kurdistan Region in 2012, EKURD.NET (Feb. 17, 2013),
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2013/2/state6863.htm.
36 Lebanon: Law Reform Targets ‘Honor’ Crimes, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (Aug. 11, 2011),
http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/08/11/lebanon-‐‑law-‐‑reform-‐‑targets-‐‑honor-‐‑crimes.
37 See generally HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, supra note 32.
38 See generally HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, supra note 35.
39 Abdel Hamid Zebari, KRG Fails to Combat Violence against Women in Iraqi Kurdistan, EKURD.NET (Feb.
5, 2013), http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2013/2/state6835.htm.
6
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2547550