Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture
Transcription
Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture
2012 People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program +964 0533194727 www.xelik.org [NOT FOR HONOR KILLING IN THE NAME OF TRADITION OR CULTURE] The first two months of 2012 seen an escalation in the number of reported cases of violence against women in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Eighteen (18) cases have been reported in the Bishder and Betwen regions of Suleimaniya in January and February 2012. 2 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Poem to Fadime Sadinhal and Maria Barin By: Jamal Khambar ماریا ، ئەگەر فاتیمەت بینی پێی بڵێ ؛ ! هێشتا لێرەن ،ژنکوژەکان بە چەقۆوە هێشتا لێرە ڕاوەستاون پێی بڵێ ؛ هێشتاکە .ئەم تاریکییە ،ئەم کوشتنە هەموو وەرزێک ئێمە ئەخوات بە فاتیمە بڵێ ؛ ئەم زەمینە لە گۆرانییەکەوە ئەچێ بۆ گۆرانییەکی تر لە دەریایەکەوە ئەفڕێت بۆ دەریایەکی تر .لە باخچەیەکەوە باران ئەگوێزێتەوە بۆ باخچەیەکی تر پێی بڵێ ئەم دنیایە هەموو سپێدەیەک دەرگا بۆ عەشقێکی تازە ئەکاتەوە و .هەموو ئێوارەیەک مۆمێک بۆ سپێتیی ژن هەڵئەکات .هەموو هەشتی مارسێک ،کراسی عەدالەت ئەپۆشێ پێی بڵێ ،بە فاتیمە بڵێ ؛ دوای مەرگی ئەو ، ئاگری دەیان قەسیدەمان کردەوە لە دەرگای سەدان کتێبمان دا .گۆزەی چەندین خەیاڵمان پڕ کرد لە ئاوی تووڕەبوون لە بەردەم ئاوێنەکانی قسەکردنا .چەندین تفمان لە بێشەرەفیی خۆمان کرد پێی بڵێ ،بە قەهرەوە بە فاتیمە بڵێ ؛ .دوای مەرگی ئەو چییمان نەکرد کەچی هێشتا ژنکوژان ،بە چەقۆ و خنجەرەکانی شەرەفەوە ! لێرەن ..لەبەر دەرگای ماڵەکانی هەموومان ڕاوەستاون Jamal Khambar is an Australian-Kurdish Poet who is an advocate of women’s rights. In this poem he writes to Maria, a recent victim of honor killing in Sweden who meets Fatima, another girl killed in Sweden in 2001and tells her that we don’t forget her and that since 2001 the knife is still around waiting and haunting for more honor killings. People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Introduction The first two months of 2012 have seen an escalation in the number of reported cases of violence against women in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Eighteen (18) cases have been reported in the Bishder and Betwen regions in January and February 20121. Civil Society and Human Rights Organizations are highly concerned about the surge in the number of cases of honor based violence, namely honor killings, in addition to the high numbers of suicides -by self-burning- of young women reported in Rania and Qalazia and the lack of information and prosecution of the cases by the authorities. Another cause of concern is the lack of accurate statistics available. This report is an effort to document the cases of women killing and self-burnings in Kurdistan and to detail actions taken by local NGO’s. Moreover we seek to raise the issue at the international level and to establish networks with international human rights organizations and engage international stakeholders to raise awareness of discrimination and violence faced by Kurdish women. The information contained here comes from reports from Non-Governmental Organizations that have worked directly with these cases and have interviewed families, police and close relatives of the women as well as Kurdish media articles covering the issue of women killing. The numbers speak for themselves The Kurdish government registered 3,766 cases of violence against women in 20112. Table 1 shows the results by province. From these figures, seventy-six (76) women were killed or committed suicide, while 330 had either been burned or self-immolated. These are the official figures; yet misleading since in many instances, the murders are disguised as suicide or not even reported to the authorities3. Table 1. Cases of Violence Against Women, per Province registered in 2011 4. Province Population (estimate) Cases of VAW Percentage Duhok 200,000 residents 771 21% Erbil 1.3 million residents 1,322 35% Suleimaniya 1.9 million residents 1,673 44% In 2011, a total of 44 cases of violence were documented in the Bishder and Between regions, at this rate the violent cases will almost triple by the end of the year. Estimates from the UN Population Fund in their report State of the World Population 20005 put the number of women killed worldwide to 5,000 per year. 1 Ranya and Qaladiza, Iraq: A True Hell for Women and Girls, published by WADI-a Slemani Organizationin AK news, March 30th, 2012. Retrieved April, 1st, 2012 http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/8/298778/ 2 Iraqi Kurdish Activists: Women’s Abuse Under-Reported, published by ekurd January 19,2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012. http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2012/1/state5811.htm 3 Honour killings: Plague of suicides in north may actually be murder, published by ekurd January 14, 2012.Written by NIQASH and Media Academy Iraq 4 Ibid 5 UNFPA Report State of the World Population, retrieved May 15, 2012. People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 3 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Women and Honor Killings Honor Killing has a long history in the Kurdish society, especially since 1991. At that time, there was war and no rule of law. Only a few had power. In this time, it was common to have weapons at home and it was very easy to kill a woman. There were no institutions, court or police. The law favored those who kill women for honor. Nowadays, there are institutions, judiciary and police, yet they are not successful in protecting women. Why? Many people blame it on tradition or culture. But who can change this brutal culture and tradition. For the past 20 years, it has not been the priority of those [men] in power to put this on their agenda. Leaders often speak about violence and killing of women, but there has not been a legitimate commitment to get to the root cause of the problem; gender inequality. Despite efforts from local and international organizations on campaigning against women killing, workshops and many other activities, shelters and women centers, why the problem seems to become bigger? Dr Nazand Begikhani’s research describes accurately the situation of Kurdish women.6 From her research, Dr. Begikhani identifies themes that act together to promote a culture of violence against women in Kurdistan; male domination, culture and social norms, tradition and tribal values, misinterpretation of religion, lack or weakness in law enforcement mechanisms, among others. Male dominance permeates all aspects of women’s daily life and asserts male control and domination of women. Honor killing is a reflection of this domination and the enforcement of women submissive position. Despite the Kurdish Parliament high number of women representatives (36 of 111) and the Domestic Violence Law approved last June 11, 2011, which criminalizes domestic violence, Kurdistan is far from achieving justice for women who are victims of violence. The law has been approved but in reality is not enforced. But the issue goes beyond the law, says women’s rights activist Bahar Munzir, “there is not enough participation, Kurdistan is a man dominated culture and women do not have the same opportunities as men to participate in political life. In Kurdish political parties, the women don’t have a place”. Moreover the same laws that are supposed to protect women still discriminate and stigmatize them. In 2000 and 2001 the Kurdish Autonomous Region reformed articles 130 and 132 from the Iraqi Penal Code no. 111, which allowed reduced penalties in cases of honor killing7. Yet, that has proved difficult to implement these reforms in a society governed by tribal honor codes, where tribal leaders continue to be the most powerful and influential actors when solving family conflicts. Box 1: Kalar Court A policeman in Kalar’s court filled out the survey with two other colleagues. The last question of the survey was related to a local case of murder; a young girl, Shokhan Ahmed, 23 years old from Kalar. Initially, they did not agree with honor killing. After 1 hour, he came back, and asked us if he could change his answer, after he realized the case was that of Shokhan. We said that it was not possible, as the surveys were anonymous so we could not identify his survey. He was angry and he said that he agreed with Shokhan’s killing and he took 3 new surveys for him and two of his colleagues and brought them back to us as to show agreement in this killing. This case shows how difficult it is when policemen that are supposed to implement the law and help women when they are in a crisis situation are still the first to stigmatize women. See Annex 1 for survey questions. 6 Honor Based Violence and Honor-based Killing in Iraqi Kurdistan and in the Kurdish Diaspora in the UK. Begikhani, Gill and Hague, 2010. p. 26 7 Ibid 5, p.63-64, Begikhani 2005: 212-216 People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 4 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture For the past month, our organization has been conducting a survey in the areas of Kalar and Rania, where we have two women centers. The purpose of the survey is to assess perceptions of the general public related to honor killing, forced marriages, the recently approved domestic violence law, and the role of women organizations and shelters in providing help to women victims of violence. Preliminary results from the survey show that people do not know about the new domestic violence law. We met with one of the judges working in Kalar’s court and he told us that he did not know about this law. So, if the judges don’t know about the law, how are they supposed to implement it? Another preliminary finding is that there’s people that agree with honor killing. We are still in the process of data collection in Kalar. The result of the survey will be published at a later time. Shelters in Kurdistan Currently there are 7 shelters in Kurdistan which include government run shelters, one run by a political party, and two “independent” shelters. The KRG Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs (MoLSA) operates a total of four shelters: one in Sulaimaniya, two in Erbil and one in Duhok. The Directorate for Following Violence Against Women (DFVAW), under the Ministry of Interior (MoI) operates an emergency shelter permitting stay of up to 72-hours in Sulaimaniya. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) Women’s Union runs Aram shelter in Sulaimaniya. The NGO Asuda, runs a shelter in Sulaimaniya since 2000. The current condition of these shelters does not promote the well being of the women who run away from violence. Many women staying in these shelters would rather be in a prison8 as they are prevented from talking to their relatives, and often don’t have access to the telephone or the outside world. Shelters run without any vocational programs or recreational activities and they don’t even have a clear procedure on how they receive women. Women’s shelters in Kurdistan have been often criticized by the public and media for endangering women. They do not have social workers and their staffs are not well-trained; there’s also the issue of stigma, the people who work in the shelter are the first ones to criticize and stigmatize women seeking help, making the choice to flee difficult for women who need protection. A young woman recounted her experience in a Kurdish shelter to a local newspaper “I will never, ever go back to that center. We took refuge there, but they insulted us. I have never been slapped in my entire life, but the director of the center slapped me. They were all laughing at me. I will never go back to that place”.9 Box 2: Going to the Shelter A woman from Rania ran away from her home after her husband and her family threatened to kill her. She ran away to Suleimaniya with her four children. She visited our center in Rania looking for help. We tried to relocate her to a shelter in Suleimaniya but without success. We tried to provide a safe place for the woman but it was difficult because allegedly she was insulted by one of the staff who called her a “prostitute”. The women also told us that the shelter have a place for her but not if she came with her 4 children. This case illustrates the challenges in dealing with cases of honor killing 8 US NGO Supporting Women’s Shelters in Kurdistan. Published by Rudaw in English, February 10, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012. http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/4405.html 9 Ibid 8 People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 5 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Women Victims of Honor-based Violence Five cases of murder or attempted murder of women in Rania and Qaladzia have been reported in the first two months of 2012. Four women have died and one woman remains in hospital intensive care, having undergone two operations as a result of her injuries 10. According to the 2008 report from the Directorate of Violence Against Women in Suleimaniya, the majority of perpetrators are husbands, followed by fathers and brothers11. Kaban Kamal Omer, 23, of Zharawa, Shot by her husband, Nasih Hussein, on February 9, 2012. Nasih claimed that he was cleaning his weapon when it went off, shooting his wife. Sakar Hamadamin, 28 of Sarkapkan sub-district of Ranya, killed on February 4, 2012. Her family claims that the killer is unknown Sakar Omer Aziz, 22, of Ranya district, Killed by her husband on February 11, 2012 Diman Mustafa Ahmed, 20, of Betwata district, Killed by her husband on February 26, 2012. Shokhan Ahmad Mohamad Amin, 23, Kalar, Killed on March 8, 2012. The circumstances of her killing are unknown, but it is thought that she was kidnapped and her body was found near Kirkuk province According to Houzan Mahmoud, UK representative of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq12, the figures are “very conservative” and the statistics can never show the reality of women’s oppression in Kurdistan. According to Mahmoud, “there is a culture of tolerance of violence against women in our society. Men easily kill women because the laws which are supposed to protect women are not functional.” She said that most women in Kurdistan do not report the crimes due to lack of trust in the police forces or to avoid stigma because in Kurdistan “tribal laws are more powerful than civil laws. They don’t report the crimes because they cannot trust the police or they don't want to bring shame on their man's so called honor. Sometimes the family hides it in order to protect their ‘honor’ and avoid stigmas”. Other Women Killed in Iraq 2007-Du'a Khalil Aswad, 17, Duhok She was stoned to death in Niniveh, by a mob of 2,000 men for falling in love with a man outside her tribe. 2007-Shawbo Ali Rauf, 19, Kurdistan Was taken by her family to a picnic in Dokan and shot seven times because they had found an unfamiliar number on her mobile phone. Figure 1.Shawbo Ali Rauf 10 Ibid 1 Ibid 5 p. 47 12 Ibid 3 11 People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 6 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture 2008- Rand Abdel-Qader, 17, Basra 17, was beaten to death in Basra by her father because she had become infatuated with a British soldier. 2008-Leila Hussein, 41, Basra Murdered on 17 May in Basra after she denounced and divorced her husband’s after she witnessed her daughter Rand Abdel-Qader, 17 honor killing at the hands of her father over innocent friendship between her student daughter, and a blond, 22-year-old British soldier known only as Paul. 2011 Fatima Sadradin, 25, Hawler Murdered on August 8th, 2011 by her brother. She was the third wife and she had divorced her husband. Kurdish Women Killed in Europe and US 1999- Pela Atroshi, 19, Kurdistan/Sweden During the visit to Duhok Pela was attacked and shot by her uncle and his sons. Her uncle Rezkar Atroshi had shot Pela twice at the back in an upstair room of her family home, before her mother and sister Breen intervened. Upon helping her downstairs, the women were met by Pela’s uncles Shivan Atroshi and his brother who pulled the women apart and shot Pela in the head despite her pleas for mercy. Figure 2. Pela Atroshi 2001- Fadime Sahindal, 26, Sweden Shot in the head by her father in her sister’s apartment in Sweden. She had fallen in love with a Swedish man, Patrik Lindesjö who was killed in a car accident in 1998. She was an activist and had spoken to the Swedish Parliament about immigrant women situations in Sweden. 2006-Banaz Mahmod Babakir, 20, UK Banaz was given in arranged marriage to a member of her own tribe at age 16. Few years later, after Figure 3 Fadime Sahindal her marriage broke down due to violence and rape, Banaz returned back to her family home and while seeking divorce fell in love with Rahmat Sulemani, an Iranian Kurdish man of a different tribe., She was raped and strangled and her body was found more than three months after she was reported disappeared. 2007-Shawbo Ali Rauf, 19, Kurdistan Was taken by her family to a picnic in Dokan and shot seven times because they had found an unfamiliar number on her mobile phone. Figure 4. Banaz Mahmoud 2009- Noor Faleh Almaleki, 20, US On October 20, 2009 in an Arizona parking lot Noor’s father attempted to run over his daughter and the mother of her boyfriend Amal Edan Khalaf, 43, with his 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Noor spent two weeks in coma fighting for her life, but died as a result of the injuries she suffered. 2011-Sara Mohamed Ali, 21,Sweden Killed in Rania in September 2011. She had moved to Sweden in 2008 when Figure 5 Noor Al-Maleki People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 7 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture her father refused to let her marry a man she met while studying in Kurdistan. In 2011, she went back to Kurdistan where she died of natural causes according to her family, but women organizations in Sweden have strong reasons to believe it was a case of honor killing. 2012-Maria Barin Aydin, 19, Sweden 19, was killed on April 24, 2012, in Landskrona in Sweden. She had chosen to have a relationship with someone which had not been selected by her family According to Houzan Mahmoud, UK representative of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq13, the figures are “very conservative” and the statistics can never show the reality of women’s oppression in Kurdistan. According to Mahmoud, “there is a culture of tolerance of violence against women in our society. Men easily kill women because the laws which are supposed to protect women are not functional.” She said that most women in Kurdistan do not report the crimes due to lack of trust in the police forces or to avoid stigma because in Kurdistan “tribal laws are more powerful than civil laws. They don’t report the crimes because they cannot trust the police or they don't want to bring shame on their man's so called honor. Sometimes the family hides it in order to protect their ‘honour’ and avoid stigmas”. Box 3: Rania University One of the survey locations in Rania, was Raparin University. One male student, 23 years old discussed with us about honor killing. He agreed on the killing-of women-if it is related to honor. “These girls are not good girls; they are a shame for their families” he said. This young man’s opinion shows how even the educated, young people still hold very conservative views about women’s rights. We often argue that these conservative views are mostly among the uneducated, old, and living in the villages, but our survey and conversations with young people shows otherwise. 13 Ibid 3 People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 8 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Self-Immolation Cases Government statistics from the whole region show 414 women in 2009 experienced burning 14Al Arabiya newspaper reported the figure of women burning themselves alive has gone up from 39 in 1991to 441 cases in 201015. In Suleimaniya Governorate, the DVAW 2008 report shows that in Self Immolation Cases Gashbeen Jabar Nabi, 13, Rapareen Qtr. Rania Was burned on January 15, 2012. According to her family, she was burned when filling a heater with kerosene; but the cause of the burning remains suspicious. Sazan Omer Kareem, 27, Hajjawa Sub-district Was burned on January 15, 2012. Details of the case remain uncertain. Beri Mohammad Mullah, 19, Sangasar Sub-district Was burned on January 26, 2012. Details of the case are unknown. Shiba Hussein Qadir, 19, Shahidan Qtr., Rania Was burned on January 31, 2012. Details of the case are unknown. Arazo Salih Rasool, 17, Rania 50 percent of her body was burned, allegedly from a kerosene pump cooker while taking a bath. She is now at Sulaimaniyah hospital. Gulstan Ahmad, 17, Rania was burned while home alone. She allegedly filled a kerosene heater with benzene instead of kerosene. Ahmad is a student at a computer institute Lana Sa’dun Haji, Kewasash Sub-district, Rania Details of this burning are unknown the first nine months of 2008, 140 women experienced burning16. Of this figure, 21 cases were self-burning -intentionally or in Kurdish, khosootan- and 119 were reported as accident-related burns-sootan-. Does this make sense? The majority of burned cases registered are due to alleged accidents involving “faulty” cooking or heating equipment and they occur in rural areas. These alleged accidents are suspicious given the high degree and severity of burns of the victims. Moreover from the data collected it cannot be determined whether the burnings are the cause of accident or the attempt to murder a woman. If you want to learn more about cases of women burning in Kurdistan, there is a documentary film, recently shown in Suleimaniya, by a Kurdish-Norwegian producer, Halkaut Mustafa, titled “Without Mirrors”. The film takes place at the Erbil Emergency Hospital and tells the story about women burning. 80% of the women in the documentary died as a result of the burnings after the interviews. If you want a copy of the documentary, you can contact us. 14 Ibid Of women who set themselves on fire in Iraq's Kurdistan, published by ekurd, written by Al ArabiyaDubai, November 23, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2012. http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/11/state5599.htm 16 Ibid 5 p. 45 15 People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 9 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Taking Action: Honor Killing Awareness Campaign Local and international NGO’s are working to raise awareness, train, provide direct services (legal, psychological and social services) and advocacy on issues of violence against women. People’s Development Association which has been working with women in the area since 2006 has two women centers in Suleimainya, one in Kalar and the other in Rania. We joined forces with other local and international human rights organizations to start an awareness campaign. The campaign, Not for Honor Killing under the Name of Tradition and Culture: Mamosta Sakar Campaign, started in mid-February and has so far completed the following activities: 1. A letter signing campaign which included local and international organizations based in Kurdistan to urge the Ministry of Justice to take action in the case of the killing of Sakar. 2. A sit in with the Minister of Justice on February 26th, to present the letter urging him to follow the case in the court. News Article-Kurdish 3. A demonstration in front of Suleimaniya’s Court as part of the 8th of March, International Women’s Day in Kurdistan. The demonstration was a collective effort to make the issue public and demand the authorities to provide shelters for the women in the Bishder district of Suleimaniya. The protest was widely covered in the local media, including radio, TV and newspapers, which is likely to have a positive impact in the community, especially TV, which is the main source of information here in Kurdistan. 4. A panel discussion on Honor Killing also part of the 8th of March activities in Suleimaniya. The panel, composed by a lawyer, a woman parliamentarian and a woman activist discussed the challenges in dealing with honor killing and the implementation of the new domestic violence law approved by the Kurdistan Parliament. 5. A text message campaign to more than 100,000 Asia Cell customers (the largest mobile provider in the KRG) stating: “Not for Honor Killing Under the Name of Tradition and Culture”. 6. A survey is ongoing in Rania and Kalar, where we expect to gather the public opinion’s regarding issues of honor killing, forced marriages, shelters services for women, and the role of women organizations in protecting women. 7. TV show about honor killing, broadcasted by KNN on April 19 th titled “In the Name of Honor”. See TV program here. People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 10 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Offering Solutions Law is one important tool to bring about social change, but it is hard to implement when those who are supposed to implement it still have a mentality set on traditional views of honor and shame. True change can only come when society is educated on this issue and is able to have an inclusive and participatory view on women. There is a serious need for other interventions. On the short term, providing women the needed services as shelters and social support to deal with the violence, on the other hand more sustainable, long-term, interventions that can modify social and cultural behavior that sanction violence against women including education, health and awareness-raising. Ending violence against women is at the forefront of advancing the status of women. This requires a long term, two-fold strategy not only at the national level, but most importantly requires the support of the international community. At a national level it is a priority is to advocate for the prosecution and punishment of honor crimes. The international community must stand beside women to bring about justice and equality by ensuring states meet their international obligations to protect women under CEDAW and other conventions, while supporting local efforts to advocate, educate and raise awareness about violence against women. They are vital to establish networks with international human rights organizations and to participate in world forums to draw attention to the issue of violence against Kurdish women. Next steps on the campaign include a documentary film on the case of Sakar, more radio and TV programs and more awareness activities in local communities especially the ones that have been closely affected by the killings. Law is one important tool to bring about social change, but it is hard to implement when those who are supposed to implement it still have a mentality set in traditional views of honor and shame. Conclusion The number of cases of honor killing and self-burnings in Rania and Qaladzia in the first two months of 2012 evidence an increase in the cases of violence against women in this region. The situation regarding honor based violence is critical. There is a need for reliable sources of statistics on women killings. Women Rights organizations are closely following up these provinces and documenting the cases. Shelters, although are not a sustainable solution, are in the short term a way of protecting women against violence and murder by their families. Integrated services provided by these shelters as well as training of the staff that works directly with the women are required. NGO’s dealing with cases of violence against women need to keep providing key direct services to women victims of violence (social, psychological and legal) while also pushing the government to enforce the laws that protect women. There is a serious need for other interventions. On the short term, providing women the needed services as shelters and social support to deal with the violence, on the other hand more sustainable, long-term, interventions that can modify social and cultural behavior that sanction violence against women including education, health and awareness-raising. At the national level a priority is advocating for the prosecution and punishment of honor crime. On the international level, establish networks with international human rights organizations and to participate in world forums to draw attention to the reality of Kurdish women. People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 11 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Photo Gallery Figure 1. Sit in with the Kurdish Justice Minister, Raouf Rashid Abd Al-Rahman, on February 26th, 2012. Representatives of Heartland Alliance, PDA, Islamic Women Union, and the Kurdistan Women Association, the latter two based in Rania discussed Mamosta Sakar’s case and delivered a letter sign by many NGO’s urging the Minister to follow up this case. Figure 2 Bahar Munzir, Project Manager from PDA speaks at a rally during 8th of March, in Suleimaniya, about Mamosta Sakar's Campaign for Kurdish Local TV People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 12 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Figure 3. Rally in front of the courthouse in Suleimaniya, March 8th, 2012. Figure 4. Shanga from WADI spoke to the media Suleimaniya on March 8th, 2012. Women Organizations, ASUDA, CDO, PDA, WADI demanded the establishment of a shelter for the Peshder district in Suleimaniya. People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 13 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Figure 5. Bahar Munzir(right), and Peiman Azadi (middle) Member of Parliament discuss the issue of honor killing in a panel on International Women's Day in Suleimaniya. Figure 6.Falah Project Coordinator with WADI talked in the rally about women issues in Kurdistan, March 8th 2012, Suleimaniya Court People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 14 Not for Honor Killing in the Name of Tradition or Culture Figure 7.Lawyer and Women Activist Razaw Abdul speaks about challenges of representing women in the court. March 8th,2012 Suleimaniya. Figure 8. Staff from Rania Women Center conducting Survey at Raparin University People’s Development Association (PDA) Women’s Program 15