HONOUR KILLING

Assignment of Sociology

IHSAN ULLAH 5/20/16 Section A

NAME IHSAN ULLAH

ROLL NO 11.

ASSIGNMENTS SOCIOLOGY

SUBMITTED TO SIR NASIR AHMED

SECTION A

LLB FIRST YEAR

UNIVERSITY LAW COLLEGE

ContentsHONOUR KILLING.................................................................1Introduction:..............................................................................1Definitions...................................................................................2Honour Killings in Pakistan.....................................................2Reasons for Honour Killing:-....................................................3Aftermath of Honour Killings..................................................3What is being done to stop Honour Killings?.........................4Well-Known Honour Killings from Pakistan..........................4Conclusion..................................................................................5

HONOUR KILLING

Introduction:Honour killing is the murder of a person accused of "bringing shame" upon their family. Victims have been killed for refusing to enter a marriage, committing adultery or being in a relationship that displeased their relatives. In many instances, the crimes are committed by family members against a female relative. In some parts of the world, women who have been raped have also been murdered for the 'dishonor' of being a victim and the 'disgrace' it brings to their family. Honour killing is believed to have originated from tribal customs where an allegation against a woman can be enough to defile a family's reputation - 'a life without honour is not worth living.

A Middle Eastern and South Asian cultural practice where murder, usually of a female family member, is committed by male family members as a response to a slight upon the so-called honour of the family. The murder intends to defend the family honour they feel is lost by a specific action deemed dishonorable by religious and tribal standards, such as adultery.

Definitions In the modern age, the term was first used by a Dutch scholar of Turkish society, Anne Nauta in 1978. Nauta sought a term that could be used to distinguish honor killings from blood feuds.

An honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community.

Human Rights Watch defines "honour killings" as the acts of violence, usually murder, committed by male family members against female family members, who are held to have brought dishonour upon the family. A woman can be targeted by (individuals within) her family for a variety of reasons, including: refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce—even from an abusive husband—or (allegedly) committing adultery. The mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that "dishonors" her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life.

Thus an honour killing (also called a customary killing), can be said as the murder of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators (and potentially the wider community) that the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community. Hence a murder committed in order to save what is considered in a specific culture the “honour” of one’s family against the shame caused by another member of the family could be termed as the honour killing.

Honour Killings in PakistanHonour killings are justified in the name of religious tradition,

These traditions have become blurred and corrupted, allowing for widespread abuse Women and young girls are being killed by husbands, fathers, and brothers who feel shame has been brought upon their family

Authorities blame woman for their deaths, believing that they deserve punishment for their actions and murder is a justifiable action taken by men.

Similar practices of honour killings have been known since ancient Roman times.

Hundreds of women die each year in Pakistan as a result of Honour Killings.

Many killings go unreported, placing some estimates of those actually dying in the thousands.

One in every five homicides in Pakistan are related to an honour killing.

Reasons for Honour Killing:-The main reason for commitment of an ‘honour killing’ is belief that any member of family had brought dishonour to the family. The dishonour can be of different types for different families. The perceived dishonour is normally the result of the following behaviors, or the suspicion of such behaviors, which are dress codes unacceptable to the family/community; or wanting to terminate or prevent an arranged marriage or desiring to marry by own choice; or engaging in certain sexual acts, including those with the opposite or same sex, etc.

A threat of violence involves every aspect of a women’s life, with most living in daily fear of being attacked

A mere suspicion can lead to murder for a woman, such as… A rumor spread in a village. An accusation by a jealous husband. In extreme cases a man’s dream about his wife’s adultery. Women face death by shooting, burning or being slaughtered with axes. Women are most often killed as a result of,,,,,,

Being suspected of having an illicit relationship Attempting to marry a man of her choice Divorcing an abusive husband Coming forward about being raped

Also the most obvious reason for this practice to continue in India is because of the fact that the caste system continues to be at its rigid best and also because people from the rural areas refuse to change their attitude to marriage. Also in our country the society is mainly the patriarchal. Men are expected to enforce such norms and traditions and protect family and male honour from shame. Women are expected to conduct themselves honorably. This understanding of the notion gives legitimacy to all forms of social regulation of women’s behavior and to violence committed against them.

All of these reasons go against the ideas and beliefs that men are not in the wrong and that the woman has brought her own misfortune upon herself

Aftermath of Honour KillingsWomen are never given a chance to explain or clear up any misunderstandings

Tradition in Pakistan dictates that the only way to restore honor to a man is by killing the offending woman

Police and law enforcement almost always take the side of the man in honour killings, and men are rarely prosecuted

When men are convicted of murder, the judiciary ensures that men receive a light sentence, further promoting that men can kill female family members without worrying about consequences With lack of women’s shelters and places to hide for the accused, any woman attempting to travel on her own to seek refuge is an easy target for abuse by police, strangers, and male family members on the hunt for her

Because Women have few options to turn to in order to seek help suicide appears to be the best option to escape the persecution

What is being done to stop Honour Killings?The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women has ratified with the government of Pakistan to stop honour killings and discrimination against women

Despite this ratification, the Pakistan government has failed to make significant changes to women’s rights and equality. Women are still under the subjugation of male family members and male members of society

Amnesty International is also urging the government of Pakistan to honor their obligations under international law to protect women

Amnesty International has suggested reviewing judicial practices and criminal laws that allow men to escape criminal persecution after murdering a female family member

Well-Known Honour Killings from PakistanJamila, a mentally challenged 16-year old girl, was shot dead in March 1999 after she told her tribe that she had been raped. The tribal council of elders decided that she should die as she had brought shame on the tribe.

Ghazala was set on fire and burned to death, reportedly by her brother, in Joharabad, Punjab province, on 6 January 1999, because her family suspected she was having an ‘illicit’

relationship with a neighbor. Her burned and naked body reportedly lay unattended on the street for two hours as nobody wanted to have anything to do with it.

On 6 April 1999, 29-year-old Samia Sarwar was shot dead in her lawyer’s office in Lahore, in a killing openly carried out with her mother’s participation. Her seeking divorce after 10 years of marital abuse shamed her parents so deeply that they instigated her murder. According to a witness, Samia’s mother walked away from the murder “cool and collected as though the woman slumped in her own blood was a stranger”.

ConclusionWe have so far discussed at length various aspects of laws related till present times over the issue of ‘honour killing’. Also we have seen the various ought to be rules and laws to strengthen our judiciary over this most dishonourable practice. The above mentioned laws should be actively introduced in the society by the means of formal governance and active policing. Normally in a country where there is rule of law, the customary laws should not be given much value over the codified laws in matters of such heinous crimes like ‘honour killing’. Hence the penal actions should be imposed seriously over the perpetrator with the help of various provisions of Pakistan Penal Code, and Constitution of Pakistan. These measures will definitely help to reduce the spate of honour killings.

Honour killing is done for saving the honour of the family. But there is no such honour in killing any person. ‘Religion’ and ‘culture’ cannot and must not be invoked as excuse for the killing of women, because religion and the laws which derive from it are always subjective interpretations. No ‘culture’ has the right to kill and harm women based on their perceptions of morality or honour. The freedom of belief does not mean freedom to kill. Everyone has right to life with full dignity and equality. Hence active laws are the only antidote to such dishonourable practices