Young woman commits suicide in fear of honor-based violence in Delafan County, Iran

Fatemeh Moradi
Age: 23
Suicide: June 22, 2023
Place of residence: Delafan County, Lorestan
Origin: Iran
Children: none

On June 22, 23-year-old Fatemeh Moradi committed suicide out of fear of honor-related violence from her family. Fatemeh's family discovered she was in a relationship with a young man after the couple was arrested on the street and later released.

Fearing violent actions from her relatives, Fatemeh chose to end her life by swallowing a Quickphos tablet. A Quickphos tablet is a toxic substance used to control rodents.

It cannot be ruled out that Fatemeh was forced to commit suicide. Honor killings are a major problem in Iran, where women are sometimes punished by their families for "besmirching honor" by entering into relationships outside of marriage.

Fatemeh Moradi's suicide highlights the urgency of addressing honor-related violence and protecting women from violence. It is a sad reminder of the need for social and cultural change to empower women to make autonomous choices about their relationships and lives.

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.