Jordanian kills daughter in suspected ‘honour’ killing

AMMAN (AFP) — A Jordanian man has turned himself in to police after shooting dead his 30-year-old daughter in the Jordan Valley in an apparent new “honour killing”, a security source said on Tuesday.

“The man shot his daughter several times after a quarrel as he tried to prevent her from leaving home,” the source told AFP.

“The suspect has confessed to killing his daughter because she regularly disappeared for several days.”

In November, a 33-year-old Jordanian was charged with premeditated murder for strangling his divorced sister, aged 29, for leaving home for more than a year “without permission.”

Some dozen so-called “honour killings” are reported in Jordan each year, with the killers often receiving light sentences if convicted.

Parliament has twice refused to reform the penal code despite pressure from human rights groups to end the near impunity of men who commit such killings.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.