Honor killing :facts and causes

 Introduction:

• An honor killing is an extreme type of domestic violence. It happens when a victim is murdered by their own family member or members because of the rumors, belief or even suspicion that the individual has brought dishonor to the family, clan or community. Honor killing victims are targeted as it is assumed that their behavior violates religious or cultural norms. It is believed that murdering the person bringing ‘dishonor’ is justified and they can reclaim the family’s honor.

• In honor killing cases, the murders are called as the assailants and they feel that the only way to salvage their family’s honor is by harming or killing the victim. Generally, the victims of honor killing are shot, burned alive, stoned, smothered, strangled, acid attacked or stabbed.

How Common is Honor Killing?

• Honor killings are documented among the people of almost all major religions followed in the world. In 2000, as per the United Nations reports, it is estimated that around 5,000 cases of honor killings occur worldwide each year. Majority of the cases are reported from Islamic regions of South Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. However, sometimes such types of killings are not even reported. So, no one really knows the exact figure and number of cases.

Why Honor Killing Matters?

• Honor killing is a worldwide phenomenon and it represents the horrific and scary result of an honor-based society. We live in such a patriarchal society in which honor is considered more crucial than someone’s life.

What Leads to Honor Killing?

• Girls and women become the major targets of heinous crime like honor killing. Generally, women are considered to have brought dishonor to the family in situations like:
• Being rape victims,
• Refusing to do arrange marriage,
• Seeking divorce, even in case of abusive relationship,
• Having a love affair,
• Involvement in premarital sex,
• Flirting or even talking with an unrelated male,
• Homosexuality,
• Participation in public life,
• Dressing which is seemed inappropriate by the elders and if they are not following a strict dress code, etc.
• However, men have also become victims of honor killings.

Why Does Honor Killing Happen?

• Honor killing is based on the belief that women are mere objects and are responsible for maintaining the family’s honor. They are not treated as humans and deemed as the property of male relatives. Some families or communities believe that they can safeguard their ‘honor’ by punishing the woman or even men who act ‘dishonorably. Hence, generally, such types of killings occur in patriarchal communities where family and male status are prioritised and kept above anyone else.

Quick Facts

• Most cases of women’s honor killings occur in Muslim countries. However, such type of murders is not sanctioned by Islamic law or religion.
• This crime is most pervasive in those families, where women are treated as mere property and honor is deeply-rooted. Even the government turns a blind eye to the cases of honor killings. Rather, these types of murders are documented as accidents or suicides.
• In Alexandria, Egypt, almost 47% of the women were murdered in the name of protecting honor after they had been raped.
• In most honor killing cases, the women’s brothers, fathers or husbands kill them.
• The nature of honor killing crime is distinctive and collective. Members of a family or extended family plan the crime together.
• Honor killings are carried out to control the behavior of the victim in regard to sexuality, marriage, etc.
• The family’s social status in the community and the disgrace associated with losing reputation encourage people for honor killing.
• Generally, the murderers do not face any negative stigma associated with this crime as their behavior is considered appropriate and justified by the community.
• Often, the teenage brothers are selected to be the executioner by their families as their legal sentences are light as compared to adults.

Conclusion :

• Sometimes, a forced suicide can be used as a substitute for an honor killing. In such incidences, none of the family members are directly involved in the killing of the victim, but they force her or him to commit suicide, so as to bypass the punishment. In any form, honor killings are criticized and considered as a serious human rights violation.