An Assessment of Intimate Partner Femicide in the Name of Honour in Turkey: A Retrospective Epidemiological Study

Honour killing (HK) is the most extreme form of domestic violence. Given the scarcity and reliability of data on the phenomenon, the present study focuses on the epidemiological pattern of HK in Turkey, where many cases of the HK are considered unreported or/and falsely described.

Data for this retrospective epidemiological study was collected through newspaper reports on intimate partner femicide (IPF) that published between January 1^st 2010 and December 31^st 2015. The proportion of HK was estimated according to independent variables by means of regression analysis.

The femicide cases has increased during the study period. The proportion of the HK cases was 14%. Logistic regression analysis showed that being at the younger ages (odds ratio, OR=2.0, r=0.70, P<0.001) and using other methods such as strangulation, hanging, electrocution or poisoning were the factors associated with HK (OR=1.8, r=0.60, P=0.004).

Given the continued increase in the rate of the IPF cases in Turkey, where HK related information is scarce, newspaper reports can be a good monitoring tool. Data collection and monitoring systems are crucial to find the best effective prevention strategies, particularly for HK. Policies to reduce the HK cases should be including support to women, especially at the younger ages.