Survey on honour-killings in Iran

Though over 60% of those approached by Shahrzad News are generally willing
to take part in surveys, the number was much fewer when it came to the controversial subject of honour-killing. Only 25 out of 300 interviewees in the main Iranian cities were prepared to express their opinion, the rest refusing to be drawn and replying ‘nothing’ when asked what they thought about it.

Shahrzadnews: Several thousand Iranian women are murdered every year. The home-news pages
of Iranian newspapers, particularly in the provinces, are full of stories of horrific killings. According to police statistics, 20% of all the homicides in the country are
honour- related, that is to say, they have a religious or cultural motive.
What leads people to commit these murders, and what does the public think about them? More than 52% of those who answered questions on the subject, and all those who live in European countries, blamed general lawlessness and lack of security. A further 38% thought religious fanaticism and family disputes were the main cause. With regard to religious fanaticism 5% of the women and 37% of the men said it was the root cause of the phenomenon. 44% of interviewees under 30 blamed family disputes. 44% of those under 30 also said the laws of the land gave insufficient protection to women, while the figure for those over 30 was 54%.

8% singled out pro-regime, backward-thinking fundamentalists. 30% percent of interviewees over 30 said cultural backwardness played a role in honour killing.
52% of interviewees came from Tehran, 28% from other Iranian cities, with Iranians living in Europe forming the remaining 20%. The number of those who were willing to take part in the Shahrzad News’ survey on this subject was much lower when compared with surveys about other major social issues in Iran. While on average 60% of those approached for an interview are normally willing to take part, only one tenth of that figure were willing to answer questions about honour-killing. Out of 300 interviewees in the major Iranian cities of Isfahan, Kermanshah, Aradebil, Karaj, Khoramshahr, Ahwaz and Tehran for example, only 25 people were willing to participate. Shahrzad News has made numerous attempts to include questions on the subject in earlier surveys.