Netherlands: Code Red - Honor Murder

Netherlands: Code Red - Honor Murder



A dozen women are killed every year in the Netherlands in honor murders. Code Rood: Eerwraak (Code Red: Honor Murders) is a Dutch documentary (NL) about honor related violence. Jessica Villerius interviewed four girls who grew up in the Netherlands, and are now fleeing their family.

The interviews were organized through social workers. After Villerius interviewed 'Dunya', a 14 year old Turkish girl who was abused by a family member, the youth services suddenly demanded that she get permission from her mother for the broadcast. The youth service notified the parents, who then threatened to kill her if the interview will be broadcast. Villerius decided in this case to drop the interview.

The other three girls all lost their virginity, or were accused of doing so, and their families want to punish them for it. All three tell of a life of intense supervision, of being checked at every step. All three have gone through physical, and sometimes sexual, abuse.

Two of the girls come from Muslim families. 'Saba' (19) is not willing to marry the older cousin her father wants her to. 'Zara' (15) from Afghanistan had a boyfriend, but when she decided to break it off, her father told her she either gets married, commits suicide or he'll kill her. Her boyfriend wants to kill her, and even told her parents she's not a virgin anymore. A cousin she's not willing to marry wants to kill her as well. He had abused her when she was 13, but the police refused to accept her complaint unless her parents signed it as well.

Nadya (17), apparently an Iraqi Christian, was going out with an Iraqi-Christian boy. All was well as long as they were going to get married. But he found out she wasn't a virgin, and though he said he accepted that, he started beating her. She got pregnant and had an abortion, which her boyfriend intended to use against her. After her boyfriend tried to kill her, she left him. He then told her family everything, and now her father wants to kill her too.

Villerius also speaks with the boyfriend of Amritpal, a Belgian Sikh girl who was killed by her parents since she wanted to marry a boy from a different caste.