Domestic Violence Leads to Suicide in Saqez, Iran: Halaleh Eliasi’s Sad Story

Halaleh Eliasi
Age: 25
Suicide: March 8, 2024
Residence: Saqez, Kurdistan
Origin: Iran
Children: 1

On March 8th, International Women's Day, Halaleh Eliasi tragically took her own life due to domestic violence.

Halaleh was from Saqez and was 21 years old when she married. After marriage, she suffered from depression due to domestic violence. She returned to her father's house eight times with the intention of divorce and separation, but circumstances prevented her as she had a 3-year-old child. Finally, after an argument with her spouse, she hanged herself at the age of 25.

Are you considering suicide? Please talk to Samaritans at 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org for support.

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.