Syria: 5-year-old Yasmine killed by her family and dumped in a garbage container in Manbij because she was raped

Yasmine El-Hantawy
Born: 2017
Murdered: January 2022
Residence: Manbij (Aleppo)
Origin: Syria
Children: she was a child herself
Perpetrators: her family

In the city of Manbij in Syria, the mutilated body of 5-year-old Yasmine El-Hantawy was found. She had been killed with a sharp object and dumped in a garbage container.

The victim, along with other children, was reportedly on her way to visit her father who worked in the countryside of Aleppo. She was then allegedly abducted and raped by a motorcyclist. The murder reportedly occurred when the family was on their way to Al-Furat hospital in Manbij.

Sources told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the family killed her in cold blood because of their sense of honor. Others say Yasmine was raped by a family member.

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.