Honourable Traditions? Honour Violence, Early Marriage and Sexual Abuse of Teenage Girls in Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Yemen

Abstract

Girls in the Middle East are often exposed to serious violations of their rights as set out in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child; these violations are particularly evident in the field of gender-based sexual discrimination and violence. The project described in this article attempts to produce a situation analysis of the exposure to sexual violence of girls aged 12-18 in three countries: Lebanon, The Occupied Palestinian Territories (the OPT) and Yemen. The article focuses on three particular types of gender-based sexual violence against teenage girls, namely honour violence, early marriages, and sexual abuse. The methods applied in the research were Focus Groups Discussions (FGDs) with about 8-12 participants in each FGD. In addition to the FGDs, life stories were also collected. The project emphasised the experiences and opinions of girls regarding the three types of sexual violence listed above. 384 teenagers participated in FGDs to express their views and experiences on sexual violence and more than thirty life stories were collected. The article explores how honour violence, early marriages, and sexual abuse are violations of the CRC and analyses the particular cultural mechanisms that underlie this gender-based sexual violence in the Middle East.

Toplumsal Ci̇nsi̇yet Temelli̇ Şi̇ddeti̇n Bi̇r Bi̇çi̇mi̇ Olarak Erken Evli̇li̇kleri̇ Önlemek İçi̇n Kadinlarin Güçlendi̇ri̇lmesi̇

“…Erken evlenen kadınların yaşadıkları; ancak üzeri kapatılan ya da görmezden gelinen konular arasında cinsel şiddet yer almaktadır (Chaudhuri, 2015;Gottschalk, 2007;Ouis, 2009). Çünkü bazı toplumlarda konuşulması dahi tabu olarak nitelendirilen cinsellik, erken yaşta da olsa evlilik ile meşrulaştırılmaktadır.…”

“…erişemese de çevrelerinde erken evlenen "rol modelleri"ne bağlı olarak erken yaşta evliliklerin normalleştirilmesinde ve dolayısıyla sürdürülmesinde etkili olmaktadırlar (Aydemir, 2011;Burcu vd., 2015). Bu anlamda ataerkilliği ve onun toplumsal yapı içindeki yansımalarını, eşit olmayan cinsiyet rollerini, erkek otoritesini, kadının güç ve otonomiden yoksun olmasını sürdüren yerleşik uygulamalar erken evliliklerde ve kadına karşı şiddetin ortaya çıkmasında etkili olmaktadır (Dünya Sağlık Örgütü, [WHO] 2002; Ouis, 2009).…”

“…Ayrıca erken evliliklerin ve dolayısıyla bu evliliklerin nedeni ve sonucu olarak şiddetin önlenmesi için Neil Thompson'un güçlendirme yaklaşımı temelinde öneriler sunulmaktadır. 2015;Belhorma, 2016;Chantler, 2015;Falb vd., 2015), • ekonomik (ASPB ve HÜNEE, 2015;Chantler, 2015;Falb vd., 2015;Nasrullah vd., 2014;Orçan ve Kar, 2008;Otoo-Oyortey ve Pobi, 2003;Raj, Gomez ve Silverman, 2011), • cinsel (Chaudhuri, 2015Ghosh 2011;Gottschalk, 2007;Hayes, 2012;Obaida-Nasrin ve Rahman 2012;Ouis, 2009;Spencer, 2015;Şimşek, 2011) ve • psikolojik (Belhorma, 2016;Chantler, 2015;Gottschalk, 2007;Güler ve Küçüker, 2010;Kidman, 2017;Le Strat vd., 2011;Rockwell, Elder ve Ross, 1979;Soylu ve Ayaz;2013;Vang ve Bogenschutz, 2011) olmak üzere toplumsal cinsiyet temelli şiddet türleri ile ilişkilendirilerek açıklanmaktadır.…”

‘We need “culture-bridges”: professionals’ experiences of sex education for pupils with intellectual disabilities in a multicultural society

“…The term honour-related violence and oppression describes a situation in which sexual norms are culturally connected to 'honour' and control over people's lives (Grände 2011;Ouis 2009;Schlytter and Linell 2010). An individual's sexuality is controlled by the larger collective in traditional and patriarchal societies, such as occurs in some Muslim communities (Ouis 2009;Socialstyrelsen 2014).…”

“…An individual's sexuality is controlled by the larger collective in traditional and patriarchal societies, such as occurs in some Muslim communities (Ouis 2009;Socialstyrelsen 2014). Such societies and settings are frequently kinshiporganised, which implies that sexuality and reproduction are collective concerns, often policed through notions of honour (ibid).…”