Opinion|Reader’s opinion
There are things associated with honor violence that make it difficult for a victim to receive help.
Duin Ghazi and Johanna Latvala wrote, Finland does not do enough to prevent honor killings (HS Guest Pen 29.1.). I work as a social worker in child welfare, and in my work I deal with clients who are at risk of honor-related violence. Contrary to what Ghazi and Latvala said, I think that both the police and we social workers are well aware of the threat of honor-related violence and are acting accordingly. Our cooperation with the police is also close and functional.
Working in cases of honor violence is not so simple that the client is only provided with adequate support and protection. There are things about honor violence that make it difficult for a victim to receive help: it is possible that his or her family has been threatened, and the realization of the threat depends on the decisions made by the victim.
In addition, the victim often lives in a subordinate position and there is no trust in the police. Complete isolation from one’s own cultural community can also be a threat. Victims also fear for the lives of their children.
It is sometimes possible for the child protection authority to make solutions that can protect not only the children but also the adult victim of the family. For example, we can place a child in a shelter as a matter of urgency, so that it may be easier for an adult to tell the person threatening them that the authority has banned him or her from leaving the shelter, even though technically he cannot be forced to be there.
If there are no children in the family, this option is not available. Despite the support, the pressure from the spouse and family can become so great that the victim returns to the perpetrator. Breaking away from the situation would require a tremendous amount of power that the victim does not have due to fear and status.
In Finland, an adult has a strong right to self-determination and is good. The price, however, is that even if the human desire to be protected and all the means available to do so are known, it is not always possible to protect human life and health.
Katariina Similä
social worker, Lahti
Reader opinions are speeches written by HS readers, selected and delivered by HS’s editorial staff. You can leave a comment or read the principles of writing at www.hs.fi/kirjtamielipidekirjoitus/.
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