Daily Times

An honour crime is an international phenomenon; however, this phenomenon is more widespread in Pakistan. Killing of women is largely due to inhuman and violent customary practices across Pakistan’s conservative society in the name of so-called ‘honour’.

Recently, media highlighted many cases of ‘honour’ killings such as that of Muqaddas bibi who was killed by her family members in Gujranwala when she was pregnant with her second child. Saba was gunned down by her father in Lahore. Sumaira’s throat was cut by her brother who murdered her with a kitchen knife in Karachi. And Khanzadi Lashari was killed by her husband on the night of her honeymoon in Jacobabad. All these women were killed by their father, mother, brother, husband and other family members. These are some of the cases of women who have been killed in Pakistan by their family members, people who are considered to be the custodian of women.

But the murder of the social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch has shed fresh light on the vile epidemic of honour killings in this country. According to the Federal Ministry of Law, 933 cases of honour killings took place in the year 2015. The data collected by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan shows that there were 987 reported cases of honour killings in the same year, which took the lives of 1,096 females, and 88 males, at least 170 of whom were minors. This means that in the year 2015 at least three women were killed every day for the sake of some perverted definition of honour, and about seven men, each month, lost their lives for the same reason. A poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked Pakistan as the third most dangerous country in the world for women, after Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

However, these statistics don’t take into account the countless honour killings that aren’t even reported. Those are the kind of murders that are committed by village elders/jirgas, and by people powerful enough to stop such cases from being registered by the police. Furthermore, the statistics available to us show that although men occasionally are subjected to this horrible fate, the overwhelming majority of the victims consist of women, which beg us to ask the question as to why do people commit murder in the name of honour. Most people who commit these crimes claim to do this based on their religious beliefs, mostly using Islam as a shield for such crimes. However, no such thing as an honour killing is permitted either by the Quran or any Hadith. In addition to that, all famous Islamic scholars have dubbed honour killings as un-Islamic and a criminal act. The real reason that honour killings are so prevalent in this country is because of the primitive cultural patriarchy that is still part of the daily norm, and the apathetic legal system of the country that allows such actions to go unpunished.

Does it not mean that women do not have any safe place in Pakistan? What are the factors that have made the Islamic Republic of Pakistan a dangerous country for women? How can we tackle this situation? All these questions pose a serious situation. Social behaviour is one of the factors that cause verbal abuse and violence against women. It is important to educate people about the status and rights of women. Once they get awareness, they might change themselves.

Dr Abida Rehman, who is an expert on the issues of women in Pakistan, and also teaches a culture, society and media course, said: “It is not as if nothing is being done in Pakistan with regard to women empowerment, but whatever is being done is clearly not enough. It is not only the duty of the government or NGOs to safeguard women’s rights. It is the duty of every citizen of Pakistan to ensure that his or her rights are protected. Truly speaking, the poor state of woman can only be improved by promoting education ranging from primary to higher level and opening up the doors of opportunity for jobs in different departments, so that they can become socially, economically, politically and professionally strong.”

Dr Rehman further stated: “However, media has always been effective in spreading awareness among people, literate and illiterate alike. Media play a crucial role in influencing and reinforcing social perceptions. There could be programmers and plays on reforming women’s status in Pakistani society, and especially on honour killing. There should be awareness among men about respecting dignity of women and treating them as equal persons, and among women as well as about their legal rights. More importantly, syllabus for young children should redefine their attitude towards women as carrying an equal status and rights as men. Girls should not relegate themselves to a status inferior to men’s and should explore their potential.”

Sarmad Ali, a legal expert said: “The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees certain fundamental rights to all its citizens equally without gender discrimination. Article 25 protects those laws made especially for the protection of women and children. Women are given special attention for safeguarding their interests and safety. Article 8 of the Constitution protects against any law or custom or usage having force of law, which is inconsistent with the fundamental rights conferred by the Constitution, stating that such law or custom ‘shall be void to the extent of its inconsistency’. Article 9 of the Constitution guarantees the security of every citizen by stating ‘No person shall be deprived of life or liberty, save in accordance with law’. Article 35 of the Constitution provides that ‘the State shall protect the marriage, the family, mother and the child’. There are laws in Pakistan, including customary laws, which negate the equality provided by the constitution; even constitutional law provides fundamental guarantees and special protection to women.”

Zulqurnain Asad says that the state has taken no steps to prevent honour killings, which is a reflection upon how serious the government is about tackling issues of injustice. And thus by doing nothing, the state is as guilty as the ones who commit these heinous crimes. Pakistan must also respect international treaties it is a signatory to, and customary international laws to ensure respect for women’s rights and fundamental freedoms. Pakistan being a state party to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women is required to take positive steps towards eliminating discrimination and violence against women. State officials, rather than actively responding to violations of women’s right to life, security and being free of discrimination, act through the police and the judicial system to block access to redress and justice for female victims of violence.

The writer is a Lahore-based social and political activist. Presently, he is with a humanitarian organisation working in the interior Sindh. He can be reached at salmanali088@gmail.com