In many Western countries, we often hear horrifying stories of women in the Global South being victims of male violence and then facing further punishment from “community leaders” and the courts. Many feminists in the West are aware of the criminalization of premarital sex in countries like Saudi Arabia and the issue of “honour killings” in places like Albania and Kurdistan. However, they may not realize that similar forms of victim blaming and punishment also occur in the West.
In the United Kingdom, for example, “honour killings” take place within both religious and secular communities. I have been working to raise awareness of this issue and prevent it from happening in the UK. As a co-founder of Justice for Women, I have seen cases where men have killed their wives for minor reasons and have been acquitted by the courts. Meanwhile, women who have been abused for years and have defended themselves are treated as cold-blooded murderers by the British courts. Despite some progress being made, the criminalization of female survivors of male violence is still a significant issue in the UK.
Today, a large percentage of women in prison in the UK are survivors of domestic abuse, and many of them are incarcerated for reasons directly linked to the abuse they have endured. Despite this, criminal justice agencies often fail to acknowledge their victim status as a mitigating factor in their prosecution. The British courts often criminalize and re-victimize women who have suffered from male violence.
A film by the UK-based Centre for Women’s Justice titled “Stop Criminalising Survivors” delves into the stories of women who have been convicted of crimes as a result of the abuse they endured at the hands of a male partner. One of the women featured is Farieissia Martin, who killed her violent partner in self-defense. She was convicted of murder but successfully appealed her conviction with the help of feminist lawyers who understood the effects of domestic violence.
Victim blaming is still pervasive in most societies and often results in women being punished for being victimized or defending themselves against their abusers. This happens not only in the Global South but also in the North. Men’s violence against women is a global issue, and it is crucial to focus on holding the guilty accountable rather than blaming the victims. Women should never be criminalized and punished for being subjected to male violence, regardless of where they are in the world.