Honor Killings

A detailed Summary of Honor Killings

Human rights violations against women have, for too long, been denied the attention and concern of international organizations, national governments, traditional human rights groups and the press. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of girls and women around the world continue to endure debilitating and often fatal human rights abuses. These are only a few instances of abuse which occur every single day all around the world. Human rights violations against women must be documented, publicized and stopped.

 Brazil: A man who confessed to stabbing his wife and her lover to death is for the second time acquitted of murder by an all-male jury. The acquittal is based on the argument that he acted in legitimate defense of his wronged honor.

 India: A 10-year-old girl is rescued by a flight attendant who noticed her crying. Her father has sold her to the 60-year-old man sitting next to her for the equivalent of $240US.

 Ireland: A 14-year-old girl, raped by her best friend's father, learns she is pregnant. She is prohibited from travelling to England where abortion is legal. Only when she indicates she will commit suicide if forced to carry the pregnancy to term does the Supreme Court allow her to p

Samia's mother literally stood by and watched, knowingly, as a man pulled out a gun and shot her daughter in the face. Samia's father hired the man to kill her. Has justice seen to it that these two stand trial? Has justice sent them away for murder? No. The concept of "family honor" continues to dictate. Thus, while many expressed horror at what had taken place, silence prevailed. Pakistani politicians who dared to condemn Samia's murder were silenced. One political leader, however, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, condemned the murder and expressed solidarity with the human rights lawyers. She now faces a prison sentence on corruption charges. (Ali 88-94)

 Kenya: At a boarding school, 300 boys attack the girls' dormitory. Seventy-one girls are raped. Nineteen are trampled to death in the stampede to escape. The school's vice principal remarks, "The boys never meant any harm against the girls. They just wanted to rape."

Before his death in 1999, however, King Hussein of Jordan spoke out and voiced his concerns about this problem. He was against honor killings, and did not believe them to be justified by the Islamic laws. (Franklin 7) They are working hard in Jordan to help create a more equal justice system between men and women. It seems unlikely, but the step is in the right direction.

Iman Khader, a feminine activist and human rights lawyer in Jordan says, "I have faith that change will come. Some of that faith stems from the way women have been gaining a foothold in Jordan's daily life and business world." (Khader 77-79)

Some of the cases that have come out of Jordan include the story of 19-year-old Hanan Abed, who was shot to death by her brother, 22-year-old Mohammed, in what the courts called "a fit of fury." Her crime? Going out to eat with a male cousin without the permission of her brother. (Goodnough)

In the chaos that followed, the killer fled the room, along with Samia's mother. The guards in the building managed to intercept the killer and shot him dead. It turned out he was Samia's family driver and had been instructed by her father to kill her.

Abed was jailed for six months, having invoked a clause in the Jordanian law providing for reduced sentences for those who kill female relatives they suspect of having brought the family "honor" into disrepute. (see Jordan Penal Code)

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Approximate Word count = 2214
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics