Dear Activist,

A man beheads a young girl with a farming sickle. Another runs a girl over and kills her in a parking lot. A taxi driver murders two teenage sisters by shooting them 11 times in the back of his cab. All of these crimes appear separate from one another, but they are all classified as types of honor killing. Those innocent girls were murdered by their fathers, who thought they deserved to die for jeopardizing the prestige of their family names.

Honor killing is the murder of a woman by male family members. The perpetrators justify their actions by claiming that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family’s reputation. Monitoring girls is a custom in some countries, as is dehumanizing women and denying them freedoms.

Men target women for several reasons. Refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, seeking a divorce, having sex, or conversing with others act as excuses for these killings. The United Nations estimates that 5,000 women annually are victims of honor killing. This number, however, does not account for other unidentified cases.

When the perpetrators of these crimes are prosecuted, their trials usually focus on the woman’s alleged behavior, instead of the violence committed against her. If found guilty, the men could claim that the crime was committed to restore family honor; however, these crimes are reportedly accidents. In some countries, honor killings are legal or minimally punished.

The highest rates of honor killing are in the Middle East and South Asia; however, this is also an issue in developed countries. In addition, there are several cases of honor killings in the United States, which may come as a surprise due to the media’s lack of coverage on the topic.

Activate Change

The first step towards ending honor killing is staying informed and raising awareness. The media does not cover this issue enough; therefore, your voice is vital and matters. If more people are aware of this issue, addressing honor killing will become a priority. Honor killing will become less prevalent if new laws are passed and enforced, so it is imperative we use our resources to educate others.

• Sign petitions to persuade other governments to pass laws that criminalize honor killings.
• Watch this Global Citizen video and this TED Talk to learn more about this issue.
• Utilize your social media platforms to spread awareness by reposting articles, accounts, and posts and publishing your own material.
• Stay consistent. Change will only happen if we remain active and push for new laws.
• Donate to the Sughar Foundation. Click here to read about their mission.
• Hold fundraisers to commemorate the lives of the victims of honor killing.
• Read books about honor killings and recommend those publications to others afterwards.

If we use the full capacity of our voices, honor killing will become a punishable offense. There are not enough laws prohibiting these murders; furthermore, we must speak up for those who are at risk or victims of these killings. These women and young girls do not have the privilege of feeling comfortable and secure in their own homes. In fact, women everywhere are submitting to society’s standards and remaining silenced to preserve themselves. This form of torture is not justifiable. We must strive for change in honor of the women who sought to find their voice but were killed in the process.

Cordially,

Nika Tarkian