Honor Killing

I am really nervous about posting the first thing on this blog. So, I am keeping this whole thing short and simple.

We have been hearing about this a lot lately. Aren't we ? The number of the victims is increasing as we hear a different case everyday, having a different victim, a different story, a different scenario . Let me begin with what exactly does this 'Honor Killing' stand for.

Honor Killing is the murder of a member of a family or clan by the other members in which the victim is believed to have brought dishonor upon the family or clan. The death is awarded for desiring to marry by own choice or for indulging in certain sexual acts. There might be other reasons for the act justified by the fact that the behavior of the victim has brought shame to the community.

In the Indian Society, women have always been treated as personal property. Men have always tried and have succeeded in overpowering women and that too, with the help of other females in the society. In fact, mothers, sisters, mothers-in-law and cousins also support the attack, which has now become a community mentality. And all of this has also triggered the 'Honor Killing' act. However, its not only women who suffer due to it. 'The family' has started attacking men too. Illiteracy and the rigid caste system prevailing in India have initiated this heinous crime. A Brahman cannot marry someone from the other caste. Who in the world made that kind of a custom. After all, we are humans.

However, some people have different opinion about this thing as they believe that people having 'loose morals' deserve to die. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov is of the opinion that "If a woman runs around and if a man runs around with her, both of them are killed." Some national legal codes also support this act and make it legal. They consider the pride of the family and the community to be of the utmost importance.

But, is it justified to take some one's life because the family believes that murdering a member will save the honor of the family? Apparently, there is no law to deal with honor killings in India. So, first of all, we need a proper and a uniform definition of honor killing so that there is no room for ambiguity as to what constitutes the crime because a girl/boy does not deserve to die because he/she wants to marry or wants to have a relationship with the partner he/she likes. There should be some concrete laws to stop this flagitious act.

Finally, I'd like to say, 'Killing in the name of preserving honor only brings dishonor to the family and, largely, the country.'