Life Worth Less Than Honor

Life Worth Less Than Honor

“Blood cleanses Honor, the killer said”

Human beings are a magical creation of God. Right from day one we start developing a thought process and after a certain age we become capable of making our own choices and taking a stand. While most of our choices are accepted by the society, there are numerous people who are accused of making faulty choices and bringing dishonor to the family and community. These victims are often subjected to honor crime i.e. violence committed by those who aim to protect the reputation and honor of their family. Honor killing is a more brutal form of honor crime where the person accused of bringing shame to the honor of the family is murdered. The United nations estimated that about 5000 honor killings are committed every year. Honor killings are committed for a variety of reasons like when a person refuses to enter into marriage with someone, making a choice that his/her family disproves or being in a relationship that displeases the relatives.

The history of honor killing can be traced back to the ancient Rome Empire where the senior male of the household held the Right to kill an unmarried but sexually active daughter or an adulterous wife. In Arab and Ottoman Empire, the killer would sprinkle a few drops of the victim’s blood on his own clothes which gained him respect from the others in the community for protecting the honor of his family. Often the murders are supported by the whole family which is a great source of motivation to cover up the murders. Gradually, no trace of the victim’s survival is left in the society sweeping it clean and erasing his/her existence and thus honor based crimes are particularly difficult to assess.

The practice of honor killing is not limited to a particular religion or community. It is a worldwide phenomenon from South America to Asia taking lives of numerous individuals who dare to step outside the family rules. In France, the fifth five of Henry VII was brutally beheaded after being accused of involvement in adulterous activities. In ancient Peru, husbands were permitted to take the lives of their wives based on allegations of adulterous activities. Our own country is filled with numerous instances of honor killings. Every other day a new wedded couple is murdered by their family in the name of inter caste marriages. Honor crimes and subsequent killings are often carried out in male dominated societies that believe in limiting female autonomy. Often honor killings are justified on the name of religion; however, none of the major religions in the world approve honor killings.

Putting an end to honor crime is a particularly tricky ideal. Honor crimes often differ from plain and psychopathic crimes in their motivation. Also, there is a great lack of data when it comes to honor crimes because these are mostly committed with the approval of the whole society and thus are rarely reported. In spite of a number of road blocks, initiatives are being taken to rid the society of this gruesome practice. NGOs worldwide are taking out active campaigns raising the issue and also providing support to the potential victims of honor crime. But no amount of campaigns can change the way some people perceive the rights and wrongs, to combat honor killing, the feeling has to come from within. What the society needs to understand is that ‘there is no honor in killing.’

Nikita Tandon