Iraqi Kurds Prepare To Stop Honor Killings Of Females

October 6, 2007 2:56 p.m. EST

Sulaimaniyah, Iraq (AHN) - The Kurdish region of Iraq is preparing to deal with an ancient tradition of the country called "Honor Killings." According to some human rights groups, the tradition is common in Iraq and not limited to any one religious sect.

The decision came after a 17-year-old Yazidi girl was brutally killed by her relative because she was in love with a Muslim boy, reports say.

Moreover, the acts of "Honor Killings" are not limited to murdering a girl falling in love with a person from a different religion, but also killing a girl who gives birth out of wedlock.

The killings are carried out, as a family is more interested in preserving its honor in its community. It is the tradition, which is still followed in Kurdish regions of Iraq, Iran and Turkey as well as tribal areas in Pakistan and some Arab societies, the Associated Press reports.

To curb the brutal acts, the Kurds in Iraq along with the regional civic activist have decided to impose tough penalties and to educate the tribal communities. According to the AP, Iraqi Kurdistan had reported several incidences of honor killings.

The region's Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, told AP in July, "Killing under the pretext of protecting honor is murder."

Moreover, according to a report by Kurdistan's human rights ministry, the cases of self-emulations have increased from 36 in 2005 to 133 in 2006. And the murder of women rose from four to 17.

Runak Faraj, head of the Rewan women's center in Sulaimaniyah, told AP, "Western culture is growing here and is in contradiction with the old tradition that honor is something sacred."