Honour killing: Femicide in the name of honour

TW: Mentions of rape, murder and other crimes against women

        India is regarded as one of the most diverse and colorful nations in the world, with a population of more than 130 crores. One of the many reasons people love and adore the country is because of its incredible diversity of cultures and religions, which is unmatched anywhere else in the world. But throughout time, India has developed a very strong reputation in the field of crime and violence,  particularly against women. Some of India's most pressing problems are aggression, violence, and crimes against women. Indian women have been the targets and survivors of numerous horrendous crimes since time immemorial.         The majority of these are the result of the highly valued patriarchal system that is still prevalent in the country. Women are particularly vulnerable to economic, social, psychological, familial, and societal abuse. They have been and still remain to be subjects of humiliation, exploitation, and torture in social, religious, and cultural contexts. If that wasn't enough, the workplace also plays a role in the prevalence of assault and other forms of violence against women. 

        The perception of Indian women was different  according to different  aspects of religion. The Vedas honored women as a Goddess (ex:Ushas:goddess of dawn) and revered them as the mother, the creator, and the provider of life. Ironically, their adoration was more fictional than real because at the same time, women in India were completely subjugated and ignored in a traditional society. Due to society's devotion to upholding conventional practices, Indian women worldwide continued to experience domestic and public violence as well as abuse on an emotional, mental, and physical level. Today, there are more crimes against women than ever before, most of which go unreported. Particularly in rural areas of the country where patriarchy is still a norm, women are frequently the victims of heinous crimes such as rape, molestation, physical assault, and murder. And half of the time there are no repercussions or consequences for these offenses.

Most of the time, unpleasant emotions, like wrath or fear, may be the root cause for men to commit such violence.  People who engage in these behaviors may do so for selfish reasons, in an effort to exact revenge on women who have harmed, offended or gone against them.

        Honor killings are among the crimes against women that are most frequently discussed in India. It refers to an extreme level of violence against women. Honor killings are a reference to homicides performed by members of a family as an attempt to safeguard and restore the family's reputation. This violence is typically justified by asserting that the dishonor brought on by women and girls behaving inappropriately compels men to redeem their honor by murdering the offending individuals.These atrocities are brutal and vicious, committed by chauvinists with grossly entitled prehistoric thinking.These are categorized individually because they are mostly carried out to gratify the egos of those whom the victim trusts and constantly seeks to for support and protection. In the Northern and Western parts of India, a group of self-appointed village councils referred to as "Khap Panchayat" are to blame for honor killings because they foster values that  validate these homicides in the name of maintaining the family's honor. Other regions of the country  also maintain similar structures of council that go by different names. The rising numbers of these crimes are enough to give people a general sense of the culture we live in. In most of the places of a country like India, the belief that an "honorable man" must be capable of disciplining his family, particularly the female members of the home, has been highly pervasive. Therefore, it is argued that women have gone against the family when they engage in behaviors that the family deems immoral or unethical. To individuals who happen to be liberal, have better education, have higher social economic standing or even a broader mindset,  purity, which encompasses rituals and traditions connected to the body and sexual behavior, may look like a matter of choice or a desire. However, for the more closet minded people purity norms are extremely harmful. Infidelity and immodesty are considered to be acts  of sexual deviance and are very often believed  as impure. Women in India have been the victims of merciless tortures such as acid burns, dowry killings, and domestic violence since time unknown.  Many academics contend that since the majority of these homicides take place in rural India, the lack of modernization and literacy in these areas may be to blame for their recurrence.  But multiple cases of this description among Indians residing abroad indicate that it is more serious than just  levels of literacy. Such acts are caused by people's mentalities and not by external forces. These mentalities may be largely influenced by the type of upbringing that these people received, and in many areas, behaviors like these have long been glorified.

        Women are subject to heavier punishment than males for breaking the laws of honor because they are deemed responsible for upholding both their own and their families' honors. This could be one of the justifications for honor killings, which more frequently targets women. Honor killings generally occur when a lady engages in a relationship with someone whose socioeconomic background, religion, or ethnicity the family disapproves of. People, who are mostly men, resort to this, when they feel that women have embarrassed their family by failing to uphold the socially accepted cultures and norms of the community they live in. As the guardians of the family's honor, women are obligated to behave modestly, avoid associating with males outside the family, resist drawing attention to themselves, marry a partner chosen by the family, and most significantly, refrain from having sex before marriage. These demands and expectations stem from the idea that women must properly uphold the roles of mother, wife, and shoulder the burden of childcare, home duties, and everything that goes along with them. The primary responsibility of wives and daughters in male-dominated households is to ensure that they are excellent wives and daughters to their dads and husbands and consistently adhere to and carry out male-pleasing actions. Traditionally, honor-related violence is more actively engaged in by the men of the family. Even the female members of the family tend to grow hostile towards the victim due to centuries-old customs, societal conditioning, and financial dependence on men and hence an atrocious crime like honor killing is then seen as a just retribution for the woman's transgression. 

        The way that some situations are handled in India is a very clear reflection of the nation that we call home. When it comes to crimes against women, there is still a dearth of justice in the nation. Women are often treated as simple objects of desire and denied a number of rights; as a response, it is vital to liberate these women and grant them equal rights.  The nation's citizens must strive to alter their conventional beliefs about a variety of issues involving women and cultivate empathy for victims of crimes such as honor killing, rather than blaming them for it. Only by instilling positive changes in the attitudes and conventional ideas of some citizens will the country be able to grow.

About the author

My name is Sparsha Rai, and I am currently pursuing my bachelors degree in Applied Psychology from NMIMS, Mumbai. In my 18-years of existence, I have developed a variety of fascinations, some of which include music, art, reading, writing and sleeping. Music has been my form of escape for the longest time and I believe in singing my sorrows away. I am free spirited and a happy individual and a true believer of spreading love and happiness in the world.