A father has burnt his 13-year-old daughter to death for allegedly walking home with a male classmate.
The burning took place in Ibn Khaldoun, a suburb of Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia. The victim, Aya, was in the hospital for nine days with fourth-degree burns before dying from the injuries she sustained, reports RYOT.
“The father has been arrested since the incident occurred,” Allala Rouhma, a spokesperson for the Tunis Court of First Instance said. The father’s name has not been made public.
Aya was burnt to death by her father.
Aya’s death is being viewed as an ‘honor crime,’ a killing “committed in response to perceived shaming of the family,” reports TunisiaLive. In modern Tunisia it is rare for such practices to take place. Her death has sparked outrage in Tunisia and activist support.
A Facebook event, ‘Aya, Voice of the Victim,’ has been established and Tunisians have been called upon to participate and condemn her death and honor killings in an organized march.
“This act is nothing more than a sign of a sick and suffering society that continues to demonize the female gender,” said the event’s page. Currently, 2,100 people have noted they will be attending the march on June 19.
“What happened is strange in our society,” Feten Abdelkafi, one of the event’s organizers said. “The poor girl was just returning from school with her classmate. I can’t believe that a father could do such a thing to his daughter.”