Honour killing story: Mona (2020)

Mona
born: 1971
stabbed to death: February 11, 2020
Location: Bielefeld
Origin: Perpetrator: Cape Verde Islands
Children: unclear
Perpetrator: her ex-boyfriend (48 years old at crime)

Till 2019 Mona has a relationship with a man from the Cape Verde Islands. These are located in northwestern Africa, roughly at the level of Senegal. After the divorce, the Cape Verdean man becomes violent and in July 2019 there will be a report to the criminal court. It says "a.o. for assault".

On February 11, 2020 Mona's new boyfriend reports her missing. Walkers find the body the next morning with several stab wounds. Mona's ex-boyfriend is arrested in his apartment. The knife is found in a stream.

Nothing is known about the victim, nor about his name, nor about his origin, nor about his children.

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.