In the name of honour
Honour killing is yet another crisis we are facing today, one really needing the slogan of " End Violence Against Women."
While doing research on this particular topic, I was really confused. My confusion was my inability to comprehend the reason why is it done. I was unable to understand the driving force behind the action. Honour Killing or Shame killing is becoming an epidemic which is spreading quite quickly. Patience declining and hatred uplifting. There are many reasons which promotes this horrific action.
- Refusing to enter into an arrange marriage
- Being in a relationship that is disapproved by the family
- Having sex outside marriage
- Dressing in a way which is thought to be inappropriate
- Becoming a victim of rape
5000 each year and according to some more than 20,000 each year should be enough for us to finally notice this dark side of our society. And it's really shocking and saddening at the same time to know the fact that the same family and community group murders to control behaviour. To impose their way! When I think about it, I'm left speechless how cruel humans could be at certain times. How inhuman acts could be done by them. Most common reason which I found was of marriage. There are so many cases which haven't been registered, so many murders where the killers were forgiven, and the reason was she said NO to the man we chose for her. The choice in approving a marriage proposal is a right every human being have. You can't expect your daughters to say YES to every single thing. And if they do elope, if they do the court marriage, death is not the verdict. This situation can be avoided, by simply understanding each other.
For so many years women's blood has been used to cleanse the family's honour. There are cases which shocks us. Which makes us question the humanity. Where a mother orders that her daughter will be burn in the same car that she elope in. Where two teenagers are electrocuted for their crime is love. Where a boy is beaten badly and forced to swallow poison and the girl is strangled. Where father shots his own daughter. Where a brother kills his sister. These brutal incidents makes you think really hard, where are we heading?
What I found most enraging was the lame justification of this horrible act. By simply ending the discussion saying that these murders are carried out in the name of protecting the cultural beliefs or honour. And those targeted are believed to have shamed their family or the community. I mean who are we to judge this? I was furious to learn that in certain cases rape victims faces their ultimate judgment as the honour killing. That they have brought shame and dishonoured their family name, so they deserves to die. Which was so sad to hear, how could people even think like this?
And you know what's funny here? On one hand we defies the society and it's so called defined set of principles. We hate this society for it suffocates us. And then we kill for the same society. Then we end a life for the same people we hate. If a woman wants to marry someone of her choice, it's her right. If a woman wants a divorce, it's her right. If she was a victim of rape, that was not her fault. If someone falls in love, it's not wrong. The way a person dresses is their choice. Every single woman on this planet was born with the dignity of choice. She does not under any circumstances deserves to quit this planet like this. You are no one to decide if she should live or not. Life and Death are not your matters to handle. Not a single family can even dare to say itself honourable after committing this brutal act of killing. Shame. Dishonour. These are the words we really need to relate with murder. We as a society of educated people need to understand that non-voilent communication and actions are far far better. Because there really is no honour in honour killing. Stop taking innocent souls whose crime are not even listed.
Do let me know about your thoughts in the comments!
Love and Peace,
Z.A.K.
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