| An honor killing is a murder committed against a woman for actual or perceived immoral behavior that is deemed to have breached the honor of a household or community. The most common motive for honor killings is a suspicion of intimate relations between a woman and a man, whether (alleged) adultery, sex outside marriage, or simply becoming close companions. Even women who have been victims of rape and sexual assault are targets of honor killings. Yet women and girls have been killed for other reasons as well, such as simply being in the presence of a male who is not a relative, refusing to agree to an arranged marriage, for falling in love with someone who is unacceptable by family standards, for seeking divorce, or for trying to escape marital violence. Sometimes, the mere perception that a woman has behaved disobediently, thus shaming her father, brother, uncle, or cousin, has been reason enough to make a brutal attack on her life.1 This paper will examine the issue of honor killing in Turkey. On the surface, honor killings are caused by adultery, divorce, premarital sex, appearing western, or even being seen socializing with males that are not relatives. This paper argues that the root causes of the honor killings are economics and societal pressure felt by the families to act.;The norms of honor societies exist to maintain the sexual purity of women and to ensure that only certain bloodlines are allowed to blend so that wealth does not become diluted by mixing a woman from the landed class with a peasant male. Rumors and gossip serve as society's greatest weapon to instill shame on all male members of society that cannot preserve purity and chastity of their women. Virginity became a valuable commodity that could be transferred from father to husband for a price.;In present day Turkey, honor killings occur throughout the nation and across class lines. However, they occur at disproportionate rates amongst Kurdish populated provinces of the east as well as the Kurdish occupied shantytowns of urban Turkey.;1"Frequently Asked Questions About 'Honour Killing' | Violence is not our Culture." Violence is not our Culture | Freedom of Belief is Not Freedom to Kill. |
