Honor killing

An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing[1] is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of themselves or their family when they think that the individual has violated their or their family's reputation. Honor killings are often connected to religion, caste, other forms of hierarchical social stratification, or sexuality. Most often, it involves the murder of a woman or girl by male family members, due to the perpetrators' belief that the victim has brought dishonor or shame upon the family name, reputation or prestige.[2][3][4][5] Honor killings are believed to have originated from tribal customs.[6] They are prevalent in various parts of the world, especially in MENA countries, the Philippines, and the Indian subcontinent especially in India, Pakistan and Nepal, as well as in immigrant communities in countries which do not otherwise have societal norms that encourage honor killings.[7][8] Honor killings are often associated with rural and tribal areas, but they occur in urban areas as well.[9][10]

Although condemned by international conventions and human rights organizations, various communities often justify and encourage honor killings. In cases where the victim is an outsider, not murdering this individual would, in some regions, cause family members to be accused of cowardice, a moral defect, and subsequently be morally stigmatized in their community. In cases when the victim is a family member, the murder evolves from the perpetrators' perception that the victim has brought shame or dishonor upon the entire family, which could lead to social ostracization, by violating the moral norms of a community. Typical reasons include being in a relationship or having associations with social groups outside the family that may lead to the social exclusion of a family (stigma-by-association). Examples are having premarital, extramarital or postmarital sex (in case of divorce or widowship), refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, seeking a divorce or separation, engaging in interfaith relations or relations with persons from a different caste, being the victim of a sexual crime, dressing in clothing, jewelry, and accessories that are associated with sexual deviance, engaging in a relationship in spite of moral marriage impediments or bans, and homosexuality.[11][12][13][14][15][16][5][17]

Though both men and women commit and are victims of honor killings, in many communities conformity to moral standards implies different behavior for men and women, including stricter standards for chastity for women. In many families, the honor motive is used by men as a pretext to restrict the rights of women. Honor killings are performed in communities with the intent to punish violations of social, sexual, religious or family norms or hierarchies. In many cases, the honor killings are committed by family members against a female relative considered to have disgraced her family.[18]

Honor killings are primarily associated with Greater Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, but are also rooted in other cultures, such as the Philippines, Northern Caucasus and historically in Mediterranean Europe.[19][20]

  1. ^ Annan, Kofi (5 June 2000). "Secretary-General, in Address to "Women 2000" Special Session, Says Future of Planet Depends Upon Women". United Nations. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Honor killing | sociology". Britannica. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Honor killing Definition & Meaning". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  4. ^ Oberwittler, Dietrich; Kasselt, Julia (2014). "Honor Killings". In Gartner, Rosemary; McCarthy, Bill (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Crime. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199838707.013.0033. ISBN 978-0-19-983870-7.
  5. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "BBC - Ethics - Honour crimes". Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  7. ^ "'Honour-based' offences soared by 81% in last five years". the Guardian. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "'Honour killings increasing in urban areas'". 22 December 2016. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Urban honour killings: Backlash against change - Times of India". The Times of India. 23 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Ethics: Honour Crimes". BBC. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  12. ^ "Honor killing: Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". merriam-webster.com. 31 August 2012. Archived from the original on 22 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  13. ^ "Honor killing definition". dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  14. ^ "Shocking gay honor killing inspires movie". CNN. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Iraqi immigrant convicted in Arizona 'honor killing' awaits sentence". CNN. 23 February 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  16. ^ "Why do families kill their daughters?". BBC News. 29 May 2014. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  17. ^ Team, Delhi City (12 February 2018). "Love in the time of honour killings". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  18. ^ "BBC - Ethics - Honour crimes".
  19. ^ "India 'honour killings': Paying the price for falling in love". BBC News. 20 September 2013.
  20. ^ De Guzman, Joseph; Jamias, Janica Keiths (January 2016). The daughter clause: A study of Article 247 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines (Bachelor's thesis). De La Salle University.