In 2005 Turkey introduced a set of legal reforms that were aimed at curbing incidents of honour killings and punishing those responsible. But in the years since this reform, there are still reports of gender-based violence and such honour killings - in which someone (usually a woman) is killed due to the perception that they have brought \'dishonour\' upon their family or community - are still taking place. Here, Nur Banu Kavakli Birdal asks: what has gone wrong? What is problematic about the relation between written law and reality? Why has this new law not had a lasting impact on women\'s everyday lives? In looking at the interplay between state and society through the lens of honour killings, Birdal offers a sociological insight into modern Turkey which will appeal to those involved in the study of this country and the wider region.