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HONOUR KILLING B.S PROJECT

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To:Dr. Tulika Pandey

By:Piyush Choudhary (Team Leader) Vikul Kumar Ashish Kumar

Course:-B.Tech M&AE (VIth sem)

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INDEX:1.) DEFINITION 2.) HONOUR KILLING IN INDIA 3.) RECENT ACTIVITIES 4.) CAUSES 5.) STEPS REQUIRED TO GET RID OF IT 6.) CONCLUSION 7.) BIBLIOGRAPHY
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An honor killing or honour killing (also called a customary killing) is the Murder of a family or clan member by one or more fellow family members, in which the perpetrators (and potentially the wider community) believe the victim to have brought Dishonour upon the family, clan, or community. The perceived dishonor is normally the result of the following behaviors, or the suspicion of such behaviors: (a) utilizing dress codes unacceptable to the family/community, (b) wanting to terminate or prevent an arranged marriage or desiring to marry by own choice, or (c) engaging in certain sexual acts, including those with the opposite or same sex. Such killings or attempted killings result from the perception that the defense of honor justifies killing a person whose

behavior dishonors their own clan or family.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that the annual worldwide total of honor-killing victims may be as high as 5,000. Many women's groups in the Middle East and Southwest Asia suspect the victims are at least four times more.

HONOUR KILLING IN INDIA:India is one of the largest democracies in the world that is on the fast track of becoming a super power. Education, business, the arts, you name it, everything's changing for the better and at a lightning fast pace. The

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modern India, as some would like to put it, has supposedly shed all its inhibitions to pose for the arch lights as the next big thing. At the very same time, there is another India. The India that has not progressed along or as its alleged messiahs put it 'protected itself from the bad influence of change'. It has been left somewhere in between, in the darkness of orthodoxy. This place that someone even might find hard to imagine is actually a reality. A reality, that is not so far from the center of all activity that decides the country's fate. A reality, that threatens to tatter the image of the socalled modern India. A reality that strikes hard so as to make us think 'had we ever progressed'
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Honor killing, as it is most widely known, is a blot that is not that easy to hide or erase. It literally means killing to protect one's honor, but the ground reality only gives you a peep into what is going on in the proximity of the heart of the nation. Marrying, loving or even liking a person within one's caste or otherwise is not tolerated by the family and the village. The discord is so much, so as to kill the family member involved. No, it's no act of rage; it is murder in cold blood. They don't feel any kind of pain, shamed or even guilt to have killed a loved one. Rather, they take pride in having restored the honor of their family. These people, they are no aliens to progress or anything that me or you have access to. They are common people, like us. Then, what is it, that

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has made such an inhuman side of these individuals come to fore? The social conditioning has to be the answer. It has been ingrained in them to kill for the traditions that have been followed till date, whatever they are and irrespective of their being right or wrong. But, knowing the problem is not enough because if it is ignored today, it will definitely infect our tomorrow as well. The only solution is education and removal of such supposed guardians of values who preach to kill. India needs to act and that too now; we need to change and that too now, and if it is not today, we will be doing nothing but continue to progress hypocritically only like we have done till date.
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More than 1,000 young people in India have been done to death every year owing to 'Honour Killings' linked to forced marriages and the country needs to introduce stringent legislation to deal firmly with the heinous crime, two legal experts have claimed. Participating in International Child Abduction, Relocation and Forced Marriages Conference organised by the London Metropolitan University here, Chandigarh-based legal experts Anil Malhotra and his brother Ranjit Malhotra have said that in traditional societies, honour killings are basically 'justified' as a sanction for 'dishonourable' behaviour.
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In a joint paper, they said: "Forced

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marriages and honour killings are often intertwined. Marriage can be forced to save honour, and women can be murdered for rejecting a forced marriage and marrying a partner of their own choice who is not acceptable for the family of the girl. They said in India, honour killings happen with regularity in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. "They happen not only within the Muslim community but also among Sikhs and Hindus." Though there was no nationwide data on the prevalent of honour killings in India, they quoted figures compiled by the India Democratic Women's

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Association, according to which Haryana, Punjab and U P account for about 900 honour killings and another 100 to 300 in the rest of the country. "The total figure for India would be about the same as estimated for Pakistan, which researchers suggest has the highest per capita incidence of honour killings in the world." They said the ministries of home affairs and the law and justice are preparing to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to define the act of "honour killing". The demand for such a law was made repeatedly with the objective of

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stamping out this social evil. "This aim is to provide for deterrent punishment for caste and community panchayats which should be booked for aiding and abetting such killings and as accomplices to the murder," they said. They pointed out that the Supreme Court of India, concerned over the spate of recent 'Honour Killings' has asked the Centre and eight state governments to submit reports on the steps taken to prevent this barbaric practice.

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RECENT CASES:-

One more story of honour killing reported, but this time it is from the Shivaganga district of South Indian state Tamil Nadu not from North India. The horrific cycle of honor killings to protect the honour of a family or a caste has now spread its tentacles to entire India. In Shivganga, 20 year-old Megala and 24-year-old Sivakumar, were told that they could not marry as they were related. Despite Megalas love, her family married her off in June. She eloped with Sivakumar ten days after

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the wedding. Her family traced the couple and killed Sivakumar with sickles.

The killers included Megalas father and brother. Megala says that everyone in her village, including her mother, justified the killing of her lover as she fetched shame to her community and village. In June a news story hit the headlines that a girl and her lover were brutally killed by the girls family members, and hanged them as exhibits in front of their house.
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For the cause of loving a person in the

same caste, the cultureless caste fanatics, in the name of honour, subjected the girl Monica (18) and her lover Rinku to brutal inhuman laws as both belonged to same Jat community of Haryana's Nimriwali village. The father of Monica, her brother, uncle and cousins are suspected to be behind the crime and are absconding. They had done this under the guidance and protection of Khap Panchayats, the apex body of caste based council. The main function of Khap Panchayat is murdering couples of the same gotra or sub caste in the villages of rural India.

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The murder of Monica and Rinku forced the Supreme Court of India to interfere in the issue. On June 21, 2010, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre, Haryana government and six other states to take action against the killing of young couples. Honor killings in the most horrible form continue in rural India, particularly in Haryana. The state that has become the epicenter of honour killings. In the last week of April, the country witnessed the brutal murder of a journalist in the name of honour. Nirupama, a 22-year-old journalist was found murdered at her home in Jharkand. Nirupama, hails from a

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Brahmin family, was in love with a boy from another caste. This was the reason for her death also. Nirupamas family members including mother brutally killed her for saving the honor of their family. This is the grade of rural Indian villages living under the clutches of feudal landlords.

WHY HONOUR KILLING:Honor killings are part of a community mentality. Large sections of society share traditional conceptions of family honor and approve of honor killings to preserve that honor. Even mothers whose daughters have been killed in the name of honor often condone

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such violent acts. Convicted killers often speak with defiant pride and without regret about their actions.
"We do not consider this murder," said Wafik Abu Abseh, a 22-year-old Jordanian woodcutter who committed a so-called honor killing, as his mother, brother and sisters nodded in agreement. "It was like cutting off a finger." Abdel Rahim, a convicted killer who was released after two months, also said he had no regrets. "Honor is more precious than my own flesh and blood(New York Times).

1.) Being victims of rape 2.)Refusing to marry someone chosen by their family 3.)Engaging in premarital sex 4.)Having an affair 5.)Demanding a divorce, even in an abusive relationship 6.)Talking or flirting with an unrelated male

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7.)Not following a strict dress code It is important to note that even the suspicion of a transgression is reason enough to justify a killing.

Honor Killing Some Key Facts

1.)The United Nations Population Fund estimates that 5,000 women are victims of honour killings every year. 2.)Most honour killings of women occur in Muslim countries, although such murders are not sanctioned in Islamic religion or law. 3.) Honour killings are likely most pervasive in Pakistan, where they are known as karo-kari. Women are

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treated as property whilst honour is so deeply entrenched in society, that the government often turns a blind eye to these honour killings. Instead, the murders are reported as suicides or accidents. 4.) In a study of female murders in Alexandria, Egypt, 47% of the women were killed after the woman had been raped. 5.)In Jordan and Lebanon, 70-75% of the perpetrators of these honour killings were the womens brothers. 6.)In some countries, men who carry out honour killings escape with lesser penalties. In Jordan, honour killings are sanctioned by the law. 7.)Teenage brothers are often selected to be the executioner as
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their sentences are generally lighter than those handed down to adults.

WHY HONOUR KILLING MORE IN INDIA:One of the main reasons for the continuation of such evil practices in India is widespread illiteracy and lack of education in society. People are not completely aware of their rights and duties, and, therefore, tend to get suppressed by the powerful force of the society that they exist in. Due to
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illiteracy people are more superstitious

and are generally more concerned about their pride and honour rather than the happiness of their own children. Huge caste based discriminations and stratification of the society is another reason for practice of suchpractices. More importance is given to a persons ascribed status rather than his achieved status. Thiscaste system exists in the very roots of our society. Another reason is the ignorance of our political leaders, to secure their Vote banks.
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Some also believe that the insecurity in the minds of the mail chauvinist members of the clan which is caused by the legalization of property rights for women in 1956. They prefer marrying their daughters off to a place out of their village, which is farther off. They try to envelop their insecurity by the cloak of tradition. And this practice is given the name of honour to sham their own insecurities. Justification for such insane acts is given that a girl and a boy belonging to same clan cannot marry. But the
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concept or the motive behind this

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ancestral law is not clear to its blind followers. It is biologically proven that if the people who are blood relatives, engage in a sexual relationship, or try to reproduce, the chances are that the child born to them MAY have some genetical disorder due to defected mutation of genes. But, it is not necessary that this will happen. It is a rather rare possibility. It does become clear that our ancestors wanted a longer and a healthier life for us. They
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wished for our survival and not for our

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brutal killings. They wanted our happiness even if it meant short-lived lives. This whole concept has been misunderstood by its followers of this barbaric act.

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Ironically, any Law, no matter how severe it is, will be unable to check these crimes. The reason is MINDSET that is cemented over, by the divided society of ours. Changing the mindset of the population today is the toughest thing in the world. A law might ban the Khap Panchyats or at the most make Honor Killing a non bailable offence punishable with death penalty; but Honor Killing will continue to prevail till

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we convince people, be it the illiterate village folk or high educated city dwellers, that what they are doing is a sin and an immoral act. Ankara, Turkey -Ignoring the pleas of his 14-year old daughter to spare her life, Mehmet Halitogullari pulled on a wire wrapped around her neck and strangled her - supposedly to restore the family's honor after she was kidnapped and rapedI decided to kill her because our honor was dirtied, the newspaper Sabah quoted the father as saying. I didn't listen to her pleas, I wrapped the wire around her neck and pulled at it until she died

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GOVERNMENT ROLE:Indias Approach To Curbing Honor Killing

Alarmed by the steep rise in honor killings, India is taking steps to counter this problem through amendments to the law.
Action By Supreme Court

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On June 21, acting on a petition filed by non-governmental organisation Shakti Vahini, the Supreme Court asked the central government and seven states to explain measures being taken to prevent honor killings. Shakti Vahini had complained that, despite the surge in honor killings, neither the central nor state governments were taking steps to curb the problem because of vote-bank politics. Shakti Vahini also wants states to set up special cells in each

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district that couples can approach for safety.

Proposed Bill Against Honor Killing

On June 27, Indias Law and Justice Minister, M Veerappa Moily, announced that the central government has prepared a draft law against honor killings. Making this announcement after a regional meeting with the chief justices of Calcutta, Patna, Orissa, and Jharkhand high courts and the law ministers of these four states, he added that the cases will be tried by fast-track courts. Under the bill members of khap panchayats (caste councils) who order the killings of those who defy the orders of the panchayats will be treated as accomplices in the crime.
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Setting Up Of Group Of Ministers To Amend Law

The Centre is all set to bring in a law to curb honour killing in view of the rising incidence of such crimes, particularly at the instance of khaps (caste panchayats) and in cases of samegotra marriages. A bill to include new provisions in IPC and CrPc is likely to be tabled in the budget session of parliament beginning February 22. The decision taken by the government after much dithering comes after the law ministrysubmitted a favourable report. Given the politically sensitive nature of caste panchayats, the UPA dispensation was earlier afraid of the move backfiring and hurting its support base. The home ministry was sceptical about implementing such a law, given the

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social structure of caste panchayats and the community support they enjoy. The law commission reportedly submitted a detailed report to the ministry citing that the law could be implemented. To corner caste panchayats, which have become a law-unto-themselves, particularly in north India, the proposed legislation seeks to broaden the definition of murder to bring such bodies under its ambit. The definition would be clarified with the addition of a clause in IPC to fix the responsibility on such organisations. A home ministry official said any act resulting in the killing of an individual or a couple for allegedly bringing dishonour to a community would amount to murder. In such a case, all members of a panchayat will be deemed guilty, he said.

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The bill also seeks to defang panchayats and prevent them from taking arbitrary decisions. For this purpose, a provision is being made in the legislation by which the onus of proving innocence would be shifted to the accused. The proposal also includes amending the Marriage Act to reduce or do away with the 30-day registration period. Personally, I am in favour of doing away with this period to make the system smoother. But an option to reduce it has also been proposed, law minister M Veerappa Moily said.
Size Of Problem In India

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There are no nationwide data on the size of the problem. However, according to the All India Democratic Womens Association, there were 103 cases of honor killings in the Haryana state over a period of 4 months in

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2007that is, about 300 a year. If that figure were applied to the three Indian states in which honor killings are concentrated (Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh), then about 900 a year occur in just three states. The climate in which Indias measures to counter honor killings are being taken still remains one in which khap panchayats are not loosening up on the intolerance of caste-based and other social issues. In April, the Khap Mahapanchayat, a group of panchayats from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, called for a prohibition of marriages within the same gotra. A gotra is a clan, a group of families, or a lineage descending from a common male ancestor. They are also said to have called for a ban on marriages within the same village and contiguous villages, derecognition

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of temple weddings of runaway couples.

CONCLUSION:Women's activist groups say that such killings happen in order to save the honour of the caste, community or family. Caste still remains one of the most important factors governing the lives of many people in some parts of India. The huge number of honour killings that sometimes go unrecorded happen because of inter-caste marriages. They revolve around issues
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such as runaway marriages or

relationships between people of different castes. In many cases the groom or the bride has been killed for marrying someone from a lower caste. India's social system is based on a caste hierarchy but over the years people living in the cities have come out of the rigid caste framework. There has been an increase in the number of inter-caste marriages between couples in the cities. In fact the government helps those above the age of eighteen in such matters. But somehow the laws never seem to reach the villages, and
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they continue to function on their own

belief system. The problem in the villages is the strong presence of apanchayat or informal court that consists of members of the same caste and decides all matters relating to their community. This informal 'court' passes judgement on issues of marital discord and land disputes, water disputes and so on. Many times, villagers give more importance to judgements passed by this selfappointed court than the judgements passed by the local legalcourt, often referred to as 'legal panchayat'.
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In many villages, the leader of the selfappointed court has so much power that the police are kept away from village politics. On many occasions parents kill and dump the bodies of their children in the name of honour and the police are not even informed. This is why there are so many unrecorded deaths. In an interview with a newspaper, a villager from one such village mentioned that they are happy to solve their own problems by not involving the police or government in it.
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It is very unfortunate that the caste system in India has turned into a social evil for many. I wonder how many young people have lost their lives in the name of honour. And there are many more who are at the gunpoint of this rigid belief system. It is a false notion that honour killing only involves the killing of women. Men are equally victims of this practice, especially when it affects the reputation of a particular caste and community. Many grooms have been killed by the father or the brother of the bride.
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Shameful as it may sound, such things still exist in many parts of the country. When I look at India as a whole I see two different worlds. First, those living in the city, who are progressing not only economically and technologically, but also in terms of their ideas and outlook towards their lives. Then, those in the villages who are still bound by the rigid beliefs of the caste system that existed hundreds of years ago and refuse to move ahead. Where will these two worlds meet? I am not against the traditional belief
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systems that exist in India. But what

baffles me is the fact that so many innocent lives are lost in the name of this belief. It hampers the growth of a human mind and forces it to live within the illusionary world that it has created for itmself. There is a strong need for government intervention. The government needs to enforce strict measures to stop honour killings. There should be a ban on all decisions made by these self appointed courts in the villages. They have proved fatal for many innocent lives. India is worlds largest democracy and in a country their opinions freely, to be young and
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where people have the right to voice

to marry the person of your choice shouldnt be fatal anymore.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:1.)Various news papers 2.)Internet data

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