3. Honour killing -an introduction
Honour killing is the killing of
a member of a family or social
group by other members due to
the belief that the victim has
brought dishonor upon the
family or community.
Honour killings are mostly
against girls and women but
have been extended to men.
4. 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 adult.
There is some evidence that
homosexuality can also be perceived as
grounds for honor killing by relatives.
5. HONOUR KILLING IN INDIA
Honour killings are mostly practiced in
the parts of Uttarakhand, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar.
In contrast, honor killings are rare to
non-existent in South India and the
western Indian states of Maharashtra
and Gujarat.
In some other parts of India, notably
West Bengal, honor killings ceased about
a century ago, largely due to the activism
and influence of reformists
6. The Indian state of Punjab has a large number of
honor killings. According to Punjab Police, 34 honor
killings were reported in the state between 2008 and
2010: 10 in 2008, 20 in 2009, and four in 2010.
Haryana and Uttarakhand are also notoriously
known for incidents of honor killing
Bhagalpur in the northern Indian state of Bihar
has also been notorious for honor killings.
In June 2010 some incidents were reported even
from Delhi.
In 1990 the National Commission for Women set
up a statutory body in order to address the issues of
honor killings among some ethnic groups in India.
7. In national legal codes
COUNTRIES WHERE THE LAW IS INTERPRETED
TO ALLOW MEN TO KILL FEMALE RELATIVES :
•Jordan
•Syria
COUNTRIES THAT ALLOW HUSBANDS TO KILL
ONLY THEIR WIVES :
•Morocco
•Latin American countries
COUNTRIES WHERE HONOR KILLING IS NOT
LEGAL BUT IS KNOWN TO OCCUR :
•Turkey
•Pakistan
•Egypt
8. As a cultural
practice
It is an unholy alliance that works
against women: the killers take
pride in what they have done, the
tribal leaders condone the act and
protect the killers and the police
connive the cover-up.
Women for the tribe were
considered a factory for making
men. The honour killing is not a
means to control sexual power or
behavior. What's behind it is the
issue of fertility, or reproductive
power.
9. Causes of honor killing
Honor
Killing
Marrying Person
OutsideThe Caste
Or Religion.
Engaging In
LesbianOr
Gay
Relationship
s
Refusing
Arranged
Marriage.
DisobeyingThe
Dress Code Given
ByThe
CommunityTo
The Females.
11. Domestic &honor related violence
Superficially, domestic and
honour-related violence have
many factors in common;
however the risks of honour-
violence are much more
exacting in terms of support
and domestic violence
resources may not be adequate
to address the needs of
potential victims of honour-
motivated violence.
14. Zahida's brother brutally attacked
her because he alleged she had been
unfaithful and brought shame to the
family. He cut off her ears, tongue,
and nose, gouged out her eyes, and
left her for dead.
Case study
A man named Mumtaz in
southern Zabul province of
Afghanistan first shaved wife,
Nazia’s head and then cut off
her ears, and nose and
damaged her teeth on the first
day of Eid ul Adha, an Islamic
ritual of sacrifice.
15. Nirupama Pathak, a 22
year old journalist,
reportedly 3 months
pregnant were allegedly
killed by their family near
their family home in
Jharkhand on last week
of April 2010 because of
falling in love with a
lower caste boy
'She was bolted in bathroom by family members'
16. Warning signs
Women, girls and men
at risk of ‘honour’ crime
or ‘honour’ murder
often understate the
risk they are under.
17. • History of violence within the
family
• Forced marriage
• restriction of movement
• Constant surveillance by
members of the family
• Restrictions of freedom
Families set on enacting an
‘honour’ murder will try to
exploit police and other
services to carry out their
crime.
18. Support and protection
The most important and dangerous time for victims is when they seek
help from the services. Service providers may only have this one chance
to provide effective support and potentially to save a life. IKWRO
have a three point plan for public service providers to give advice in
their production of protocols to assist potential victims of ‘honour’
Be aware
1. Provide training
2. Raise awareness
3. Provide publicity
materials
19. Be ready
Policies and protocols to deal with potential
victims of ‘honour’ crime should be established in
advance the danger and risk is too real to leave
their development to the time when the need
arises.
1. Create plans
2. Build links with other agencies,
3. Plan for the protection of a wide range of
service users
4. Ensure the safety
5. Establish a specific unit
6. Find ways to prosecute the perpetrators
20. Believe
1. Treat all potential victims with the utmost
sensitivity and seriousness
2. Do not make assumptions based on
perceptions of ‘cultural difference’.
3. Avoid racist attitudes
4. Do not pass judgment
5. NEVER send a potential victim back to
their family
6. DO NOT attempt mediation with the
family
21. Inhibiting factors
Individuals at risk of ‘honour’-related violence may not seek help
immediately. It is important to recognize and where possible address
the factors which may inhibit a person from seeking help.
1. Lack of awareness
2. Feelings of guilt and shame
3. Protective feelings towards family
4. Low self-esteem and lack of confidence
6. Poor perception of the police and other agencies
7. Fear of poor confidentiality
8. Fear of losing children
9. Fear of aggravating their situation
10. Language problems
11. Asylum status
12. Risk of deportation
13. No recourse to public funding
22. GUIDELINES FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT
1. Establish a means of continued contact
immediately;
2. Consider using a codeword
3. Arrange meetings in neutral sites
4. Never meet the victim at a sensitive
5. Always use official interpreters;
6. Meetings must take place in absolute
privacy,
7. Confidentiality is essential
8. Do not allow prejudices to color your
treatment of a victim;
9. Make sure your victim has a contact that
they feel comfortable with;
23. Recommendations for
national policy
1. Police to perform full risk assessments
2. National protection scheme
3. National advisory group for ‘honour’ related crime
4. Councils to provide secure accommodation
5. Mandatory training in ‘honour’ related crime
6. Dedicated ‘honour’ related crime team/officer
within each police force
7. Long-term, secured resources for all organizations
8. Abolition of ‘no recourse to public funding’
regulations
24. CONCLUSION
The first misconception about honor killing is that this is a practice that is limited to the
rural areas.
The second misconception regarding honor killing is that it has religious roots. Even if a
woman commits adultery, there have to be four male witnesses with good behavior and
reputation to validate the charge.
25. What can we do to prevent such a thing from
happening?
Firstly, the mentality of the people has to
change. Secondly, we need to have stricter laws
to tackle these kinds of killings as this is a
crime which cannot be pardoned because
Humans do not have the right to write down
death sentences of innocent fellow humans.
Psychologically speaking, parents
unconsciously abuse their wards to take
revenge for the abuse they had themselves
suffered at their own parents' hands
26. Are people who kill their sons and daughters in name of caste
any better than terrorists who kill people in the name of
religion?
Killing in the name of preserving honour only brings dishonor
to the family……
