Woman shot dead in front of her 4-year-old son in Rijswijk, Netherlands

Paro Ramlagan
Age: 38
Shot dead: September 20, 2024
Residence: Rijswijk, South Holland
Origin: Victim: Suriname, Perpetrator: Turkey
Children: 1
Perpetrator: Neighbor

On Friday evening, September 20, around 5:45 p.m., 38-year-old Paro Ramlagan was shot in the porch of her home in Rijswijk. The homicide took place in the presence of her four-year-old son, who ran outside and alerted nearby residents that his mother had been shot.

A neighbor carried the little boy, at the risk of his life, to safety. He saw a man point a gun at them from a window and pull the trigger, but he ran out of bullets.

Police found the severely injured Paro on the porch, who died from her injuries moments later. The suspect is a 57-year-old Turkish upstairs neighbor, who was arrested by police. Neighbors claim he wanted a relationship with Paro, but she rejected him.

Paro was a singer in Suriname and came to the Netherlands without family for a better life. After a failed relationship with an abusive man, she wanted to build a new life for herself and her infant son in Rijswijk.

The prosecution states that the man suspected of Paro's murder will also be prosecuted for four attempted homicides, on Paro's son and three local residents.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.