We the undersigned call for a ban on the use of the term 'honour killing' by all BBC outlets which are funded by the license fee and on other media outlets which to follow this policy voluntarily.

To use the term 'honour killing' when describing the murder of a family member - overwhelmingly females - due to the perpretrators' believe that they have brought 'shame' on a family normalises murder for cultural reasons and sets it apart from other killings when there should be no distinction.

Murder is murder, whether it be for cultural excuses or others. The term 'honour killing' is a euphemism for a brutal murder based on cultural beliefs which have no place in Britain or anywhere else in the world.

There is nothing honourable about killing someone for wanting to shape their own destiny.

The BBC is funded by license fee payers and is the main news outlet for many people in the UK. As such it has a duty to promote British values and laws which its insistence of the term 'honour killing' does not do. If it wishes to clarify the reasons, or suspected reasons, for a killing, we propose the term 'cultural murder' is used instead.

We hope that other media outlets follow suit in order to show their respect to the victims of these murders, for the rule of law in the UK and for gender equality.