Utbildningsmodul Migrationsdomstolarna - Svenska Röda Korset

ForskningsrapportMany of the murders occur in the Y provinces where there is a deeplyentrenched patriarchal and feudal system. Rampant poverty and illiteracy havebeen exacerbated by the forced eviction of millions of Y villagers by the armyin its war against the rebels in the 1990s. But honour crimes are not a uniquelyY phenomenon nor are they properly associated with any particular society orreligion.UN Special rapporteur on violence against womenWhile from a gender perspective the penal law framework is now overalladequate significant problems persist in its implementation. Many politiciansand administrators still regard domestic violence and forced marriages asinternal family matters in which the State should not intervene. In the few casesreported to the law enforcement authorities, officials often try to broker anagreement between parties of inherently unequal power instead of protectingthe victims and prosecuting their perpetrators. Particularly in the context ofthe volatile political situation in the region, some officials are also prone totacitly subordinate State law to customary forms of conflict resolution in ordernot to upset relations with local power structures.On 1 June 2005, groundbreaking reforms to the penal code entered intoforce, successfully removing the most obvious patriarchal biases from the law.Despite these advances in the legislative framework, many problems persist intheir actual implementation, including lack of sufficient protective mechanismsfor women such as shelters.Amnesty InternationalThere are many barriers facing women who need access to justice andprotection from violence. Police officers often believe that their duty is toencourage women to return home and “make peace” and fail to investigate thewomen’s complaints. Many women, particularly in rural areas, are unable tomake formal complaints, because leaving their neighborhoods subjects them tointense scrutiny, criticism and, in some cases, violence. Women in Y speakingareas of the country may not be able to communicate well in X language andmay fear further violence at the hands of the police or the security forces.Discrimination against women and minorities are widespread. Participationof women in the Y province workforce is among the lowest in the countryand there is prevailing discrimination in the labor market. In X, socialsecurity benefits are not universal; one needs to be a legally employed (or selfemployed) person in order to be covered under a social security programme.Exclusion from social security leads, in turn, to exclusion from most forms ofhealth care. Without employment or financial support from family members,there is no possibility to support oneself and thus to access shelter and food.31