VOA常速英语2008年-Honor Killings on Rise Worldwide

By Mandy Clark
London
05 February 2008
 

The United Nations reports that family members kill more than 5,000 women and girls around the world each year in so-called honor killings². It is the punishment often meted³ out to women suspected of unsanctioned sexual behavior and believed to have brought shame on the family. Honor killings are most prevalent in strictly⁴ traditional societies in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. But they also occur in the West. VOA's Mandy Clark reports from London.

Shazia Qayum spent five years living in shelters. She could not turn to family members for help -- she was in hiding because of them. She says, "At the beginning, I was in fear for my life. I was never threatened by my parents that they would take my life and they would kill me, but I was still fearful."

Qayum's crime -- she wanted to divorce her cousin whom her parents had forced her to marry on a family holiday to Pakistan. "For me that was one of the hardest decisions I ever made in my life, also thinking that the consequences of me leaving would be my parents would never speak to me again, my siblings⁵ would never speak to me again," Qayum recalled. 

Qayum says she felt alone, isolated⁶ and suicidal -- until she met Jasvinder Sanghera. Sanghera had a similar story. Her parents tried to force her into marriage, but she fled and went underground for years. It was only after her sister, Robina, committed suicide over an abusive marriage that Sanghera became an activist⁷.

Sanghera explained. "She cried for help because she was suffering horrific domestic violence in her relationship and every time she went to the family she was told to go back and make the marriage work for the sake of honor, their honor. So, she went back and in the end she set herself on fire."

Sanghera wrote a book about her experiences and set up safe houses and help lines that have helped thousands in Britain desperate to escape forced marriages and honor violence.  "I felt strongly that I was one of many. Robina's death did not have to happen and it shouldn't be in vain," she said. 

The problem is starting to get public attention. In 2007, the stoning death of a Kurdish Iraqi teenager, Dua Khalil, got worldwide coverage⁸. She was accused of dating outside her religion.

Diana Nammi, from the International Campaign Against Honor Killings, says honor crimes are a global issue. "At the moment it is increased. I believe it's just due to the rise of fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalism especially, around the world, mainly in Middle Eastern countries."

There have also been high-profile honor killings in Britain. Sixteen-year-old Heshu Yones' father killed her for dating a Christian⁹.

Banaz Mahmod had her boyfriend film her in the hospital after her family attacked her. In the video, she says her father and uncle tried to kill her because she fell in love with a man the family did not want her to marry. Later, police found her body in a suitcase. Both men were convicted of murder.

Sanghera believes the police failed Banaz because they did not take her case seriously. "They sent her away on more than four occasions and didn't believe her -- the sheer disbelief factor kicked in. 'What -- your father is going to kill you for kissing a guy at the Tube station -- I don't think so'," she imitated.

Government officials say there are 12 honor killings a year in Britain and they are now training police, doctors, and teachers to look for warning signs of possible abuse.

Vernon Coaker is the minister for honor killings. He says, "Let's just be clear about this. Leaving the word 'honor' aside, we are talking about killing¹. We are talking about murder and we will do all we can to bring anybody who does that to justice."

Shazia Qayum is no longer hiding in shadows. She is now the spokeswoman for the government-sponsored Forced Marriage Unit. She is taking on schools that are turning a blind eye to the issue. She says, "For me it is really important for young people to know that there is help and support out there, to put posters in schools, like we have drunk and alcohol posters. Why are we worried about offending parents? This isn't a political correctness issue, it's a human rights issue."

Shazia Qayum and others like her hope their work will also convince parents and the public at large that honor killings are murders and they must be stopped.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

3 meted   

v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The severe punishment was meted out to the unruly hooligan. 对那个嚣张的流氓已给予严厉惩处。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The money was meted out only after it had been carefully counted. 钱只有仔细点过之后才分发。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

5 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

6 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

7 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

8 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

9 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。