The rights of women are always taken for granted in countries like Pakistan. Although Pakistani women have achieved much in all fields of life but still in some areas of our society women are being constantly victimised by negligence. These areas are patriarchal. One way of victimising them is to kill them in the name of honours. Honour crimes are acts of violence. Women are treated as an object that is owned by men who are responsible for their conduct and life. Therefore men are considered responsible for the defence of honour for their families.
All human beings, men and women, are equal and their superiority must be measured on the basis of ability, creativeness, intelligence and love for the people.
In Pakistan honour killings are known locally as karo-kari. The accused usually misinterpret the concepts of Islam and Quran and defend them on this basis. Main causes of this dreadful incidents date back to the pre-Islamic era.
At that time men used to bury their newly born baby girls. Second cause is dressing of the woman in the way that is unacceptable to the family or that community. Third is to prevent an arranged marriage or desiring to marry by own choice, talking to stranger, pre-martial affairs, rape, rebels, demand for divorce etc.
More than 4,000 women have died as victims of honour killings in Pakistan from 1999 to 2004. The killers are primarily influenced by Islamic ethics, and mainly defend their acts of murder by referring to the Quran and Islam.
Awareness among tribal and rural people by organising such events and seminars as can depict female family members to be as important as men can help in this regard. Amendments are needed in the existing laws concerning these issues.
MARYAM SIKANDER
Lahore
