Fadime Sahindal
1975-2002.
Front figure against honorary oppression.
Fadime Sahindal, who was of Turkish-Kurdish origin, came to Sweden with her family in the early 1980s. As a student, she studied social work in Sundsvall and Östersund.
In her 20s, she started a relationship, which was not accepted by relatives. After harassment and threats from male relatives, Sahindal filed a police report and contacted the media. It was in this context that she became known to the public.
She became a symbol for other immigrant women in similar situations. At a seminar on integration issues in Parliament in 2001, she criticized the cultural patterns of certain immigrant groups and also the inability of society to support women in similar situations.
During a visit to the home on January 21, 2002, Fadime Sahindal was murdered. The father was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.
Representatives of Kurdish organizations and other immigrant groups in Sweden strongly condemned the murder of Fadime Sahindal.
Since then, several organizations, networks and funds have been set up to support vulnerable migrant women and the subsequent debate focused on honour killings and lack of support for migrant women.
Among the large number of people attending the funeral service in Uppsala Cathedral on February 5, 2002 were representatives of the government and the royal family.
Burial site: 0313-0861
Image description: Fadime Sahindal, 1998. Photo: Eva Tedesjö / IBLThe image is cropped]
Click here for an uncropped image
