Media help escalate honor killings, study reveals

Based on the responses of students and their families, the media play a negative role in regard to honor killings. Whereas only 7.3 percent of the parents and 8.7 percent of the students said the media have a positive effect in preventing honor killings, 22.7 percent and 29 percent of them, respectively, think that the media play a role in increasing the number of honor killings. The respondents did not find the programs aired or the stories printed by media to be impartial or close to reality.

On the other hand, the study also showed that 26.2 percent of the parents and 25.9 percent of the students said they support such killings, although 64 percent of all respondents said those who committed such a crime should be punished.

 The Ministry's Education Research and Development Unit (EARGED) also released some suggestions to the media. Two of the suggestions drawing attention are to broadcast or publish such news with the utmost prudence so as not to negatively affect children, and to stress the causes -- not the outcomes -- of such killings. EARGED also underlined the importance of the education of reporters who are covering such stories.