Police in Helsinki take girls under protection against threat of honour violence

STAKES researcher: silent approval exists for honour violence

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By Santtu Parkkonen
     
      Several violent crimes have been committed in Helsinki in recent times which suggest a component of "honour violence" as motivation. Although there have been suspicions, no cases of honour killings have been proven in Finland.
      For instance, in October last year, a Turkish man stabbed his partner 28 times in the upper part of her body on Haaga Square in the middle of the day, as many witnesses looked on. About a week ago, a Somali-born man stabbed his wife to death in the district of Suutarila.
     
The Haaga killing has already gone to court. In the Suutarila case, the investigation is still going on. Kari Tolvanen, head of the violent crimes unit of the Helsinki police denies that an honour killing would have been involved.
      Veli Hukkanen of the Itäkeskus police precinct sees the hallmarks of an honour killing in the Suutarila case, even though he does not know the background in any great detail.
      "If these are people who are from an Islamic country, who are in the midst of a separation, then the signs point in that direction. It is not possible to reach any other conclusion."
     
In Sweden more than ten people have been victims of honour killings. Tolvanen, Hukkanen, and Juhani Iivari, a researcher of the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES), who has studied criminality among immigrants, feels that an honour killing could take place in Finland at any time.
      "We have had cases in which we have hid young girls from their families with the help of social welfare officials", Tolvanen says.
      Hukkanen has had similar experiences. "Each year we get more and more phenomena linked with cultures and religions, which force us to react."
      "It would be high time to think what could be done. We were able to reduce street muggings with the help of cooperation among officials. But violence within families is a greater challenge", Tolvanen says.
      Police and social workers confront honour violence often. Hukkanen says that its threat has grown in the past year and a half.
      A typical case involves a woman from a Muslim country who has been married for a long time. Hukkanen says that the woman has been in a cycle of abuse for a long time, being beaten and raped repeatedly. then she says that she wants a divorce.
      "At that point, the husband, and the whole family start to make threats, saying that if you go, you will be killed. I have learned of several cases like this in East Helsinki in recent times", Hukkanen says.
      "Women who dare seek the help of the authorities are exceptionally strong."
     
Juhani Iivari says that domestic violence among immigrants does not come out into the open as easily as that which takes place among Finns.
      "There is much domestic violence among immigrants, but it is handled in very closed circles, within a family, where there is silent acquiescence."
      For his study, which is to be released in April, Iivari interviewed 42 immigrants who have been given prison sentences for various crimes.
      Honour violence is most common in countries of the Middle East and in parts of North Africa. In Finland, officials are quick to react to violence in couple relationships and in families.
     
The problem is that many immigrants live close together, isolated in certain parts of a city.
      "Even in certain buildings. There, the protection of a culture can operate, if neighbours do not go to the authorities to report violence that has taken place within families", Iivari says.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 18.3.2006


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Three stories from the life of women (Not for the squeamish) (29.1.2002)
  Kurds in Finland ponder implications of honour killing in Sweden (25.1.2002)
  Kurds in Finland fear racist reaction to Swedish honour killing (24.1.2002)
  Immigrants comprise up to one fifth of customers of youth emergency shelters (3.9.2001)

SANTTU PARKKONEN / Helsingin Sanomat
santtu.parkkonen@hs.fi