NO HONOUR IN MURDER

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Lily Cai                                                                              26th August 2005

NO HONOUR IN MURDER

     The majority of Asian women live in fear. They face death by shooting, burning or killing with axes if they are deemed to have brought shame on their family through various and usually unjust ways. More hurtful still is that these cruel acts of murder are carried out by the men closest to them, usually their father, husband or brother. The lives of these women are restricted by traditions which enforce these extreme crimes, known globally as Honour Killings. Most honour killings of women occur in Muslim countries and are recognised as the practice of a family member killing a female relative when she has been considered to have brought dishonour to the family, however sometimes only through general accusation. Such “immoral behaviour” may take the form of marital infidelity, refusing to submit to an arranged marriage, seeking a divorce- even from an abusive husband and almost ironically being the victim of a sexual assault.

      Honour killings are a widespread problem as every year hundreds of women are known to die as a result of them and due to recent media attention, the problem has come under increasing global scrutiny, however little has been done about it as many more cases go unreported and almost go unpunished. The isolation and fear of women living under such threats are compounded by state indifference to and complicity in women’s oppression. It seems as though there is a particular discrimination against women as police almost invariably take the men’s side and rarely prosecute the killers. Even when the men are convicted the jury ensures that they usually receive a light sentence, reinforcing the view that men can kill their female relatives with virtual impunity. This ideal must be abolished before justice is brought to these immoral cultural practices.

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      Because honour killings reflect long standing traditions, the situation must be treated delicately to maintain a level of respect for different cultures and religions. Women are viewed on one hand as fragile creatures that need protection and on the other hand as evil from whom society needs protection. This tradition casts the male as the sole protector of the female so he must have total control of her. If this protection is violated, he loses honour because either he failed to protect her or he failed to bring her up correctly. Clearly, the vulnerability of women around ...

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