Honour Killing: Ultimate Female Abuse
English Essay on "Honour Killing: Ultimate Female Abuse"
Endogamy is a predominant feature of the Pakistani society, which has contributed to a great deal in increasing the rate of honour killing. There is a strong check on the mixing of different classes and baradaries. Even selection of friends is limited within the units of a specific spectrum. Choosing a spouse outside a particular stratum is considered sinful and consequently punishable.
Male chauvinism is the outcome of the thought that man is the master and ruler of this world. The traces of this thinking can also be found in the philosophies of might is right and the survival of the fittest which are, of course, the laws of jungle. However, this thinking has led the “unfair sex” to treat the fair sex as a property. This unfair attitude has checked the progress in education and march towards liberalism of the eve’s daughters. This unwelcome competition is considered fatal for the progress of the society. Moreover, to eradicate such evils from the society it is required to give a new dynamism to education. educationsight.blogspot.com Especially at the degree/college level, the curricula must include epics to pinpoint and eradicate the social evils so that the society can be re-oriented on the right and just moral codes. Societal rigidity is the mark of third world developing countries where literacy rate is still very low. People usually do not like change despite its inevitability. Maintenance of status quo is preferred to avoid any undesirable results. Therefore, any step taken in this direction is condemned and sometimes even punished by the brutal guardians of the so-called traditions and customs.
There is any old saying, “give a dog a bad name and hang him.” This is what is happening in the name of honour. Eighty percent of such cases have in fact nothing to do with anybody’s honour. Invariably, under the guise of false honour the property is saved (from being given to the girl in case of marriage and enmity is settled.
While rest of the world has benefited from the modern advancement of science and technology, it has put the back-ward societies into utter confusion. The complexities of behaviours and relationships have made the individual intolerant. When they are frustrated from the outside world they try to impose their decisions on the families. Therefore, these irrational acts end up in catastrophe for everyone in the society.
The confidence of the perpetrators is boosted due to ineffective laws. In Pakistani law books there are few laws to curb naming murders as honour killing. Hadood law is an example of this, where the victim of rape, usually a female; has to produce four witnesses to prove the case. Moreover, the law states that these witnesses should be law abiding pious Muslims. One can ask the law-makers and implementers that if the four law abiding pious Muslims were around and watching a rape, why they did not try to stop it? These paradoxical laws, which are full of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, encourage crime in Pakistani society.
Economic backwardness is yet another cause of these tragic incidents. Due to economic depression some families are unable to provide basic necessities to the victims who in turn decide to elope for better future. For the majority, this escape from the cruel reality is not successful. They usually end up in the hands of pimps or are caught by their own families who execute them to save the honour.
Religious leaders play an important role in the Pakistani society. They are the opinion leaders. They are respected and looked up to for guidance by a large number of people. Unfortunately, their role in this crisis is not appreciable mainly due to their having been graduated from a system that is not upgraded with the changing requirement of time. The clergy has become a profession and one can find mosques virtually, in every street of Pakistani cities and towns. Moreover, the Imams of these mosques consider themselves as authorities and give decisions, which can fill their coffers with more donations. This has eroded the very fibre of Pakistani society.
The so-called religious scholars have propagated such ideas that have doomed the status of women in the society. Their preaching’s have also given impression that male portion of the population is responsible for the maintenance of traditional Islamic values in the society. However, while imparting such types of messages, the true teachings of Islam are entirely ignored for personal gains. This rigidity on the part of pseudo-clerics has made the recovery mission virtually impossible.
No body can ignore the power of media in the 21st century, which is a source of imparting quick information in this electronic age. However, media is not playing a more positive role perhaps due to dearth of professional and technical staff. These include the sociologists who can assess and tell the cultural state of a society. Majority of people think that media is, telecasting vulgarity in the name of entertainment. Pomp and show shown on TV screen or silver screen does not reflect the everyday life of Pakistan. Consequently, the biggest role the media can play is still being neglected and’ that is to become an instrument of social reform. This issue can be largely addressed if proper discussions and forums are held. However, in the absence of such a goal-directing attitude, the media has to make a positive contribution. Shockingly, the role of women in this heinous crime is no less sinister. In majority of cases they participate in the murder and in some cases they try to protect the culprit by pledging that he is the earning hand and his actions were caused by a highly abnormal emotional condition. These household women are usually the only material witness and they mislead the trial. Moreover, they invoke family feuds and promote the fury of the male members. Unfortunately they even do not resist in case of family violence.
It is rightly said that the evil does not end with the completion of the Karo Kari act, rather the women killed under this inhuman and infamous act are buried without obsequies and funeral rites. Moreover plastering the grave with mud is also considered a crime.
In some areas of Sindh Eke Ratodero, Lolai and amongst Balochi tribes like Lohar, Tagirani, Brohi etc very few days go without a “Karo Karl” killing. However the “Karo” sometimes gets saved by paying a fine of Rs 150,000 to Rs 250,000, whereas, for the “Karl” it is a certain death.
There can be many more causes, which we can still identify and root out. However, the main issue is as to what effects these murders create in our society. Prima facie they have destabilized the society. Women folks have been rendered unsafe and thus robbed off the creativity which in many cases they possess more than their male counterparts. They feel terrified even in their homes and their mental growth is hampered.
These types of oppressions lead women to retreatism, which is the most fatal form of deviance. The victims who survive the attempts, which aren’t many, usually lose their mental balance, commit suicide or even fall a victim to drug addiction or alcoholism, if available. This also leads them to commit criminal acts to satisfy their desire to take revenge. Moreover, effects on children are unimaginable. There is also a state of lawlessness in the country, where men, particularly the influential ones, are allowed to do whatever they want in the name of honour. Even the law enforcement agencies are reluctant to cooperate with the victim’s families. We put the blame on the victim and even declare the victim as corrupt or unfaithful to the husband or family without investigation. To quote Jonathan Swift: “If vice can ever be abashed, it must be ridiculed or lashed. If you resent it who’s to blame? Should vice expect to scope rebuke Because its owner is a duke?” Tragically, there is no system of check and balance in our society where very few can dare to speak against the judgement of an SHO even. Sometimes the police is also bribed to hush up a case. Whatsoever be the causes and effects of honour killing in Pakistan the truth of the matter is that the murder of a person is the murder of mankind and the civilization. It should be stopped immediately. For that the government ha to play a pivotal role because the onus of providing the life security rests on the government. Therefore, the government has to promulgate such laws, which can deter these tragic events. The media has got additional responsibility to educate the masses about the sanctity of the human life. NGOs’ must also play their part. It is high time that they should stop playing with numbers and act to stop these numbers from increasing. Religious scholars can be more than useful to educate the masses who look towards them for inspiration and can be taught effective lessons to respect the human life in general. To respect the human life, in short it is the responsibility of everyone of us to try to stop this crime against humanity.
Male chauvinism is the outcome of the thought that man is the master and ruler of this world. The traces of this thinking can also be found in the philosophies of might is right and the survival of the fittest which are, of course, the laws of jungle. However, this thinking has led the “unfair sex” to treat the fair sex as a property. This unfair attitude has checked the progress in education and march towards liberalism of the eve’s daughters. This unwelcome competition is considered fatal for the progress of the society. Moreover, to eradicate such evils from the society it is required to give a new dynamism to education. educationsight.blogspot.com Especially at the degree/college level, the curricula must include epics to pinpoint and eradicate the social evils so that the society can be re-oriented on the right and just moral codes. Societal rigidity is the mark of third world developing countries where literacy rate is still very low. People usually do not like change despite its inevitability. Maintenance of status quo is preferred to avoid any undesirable results. Therefore, any step taken in this direction is condemned and sometimes even punished by the brutal guardians of the so-called traditions and customs.
There is any old saying, “give a dog a bad name and hang him.” This is what is happening in the name of honour. Eighty percent of such cases have in fact nothing to do with anybody’s honour. Invariably, under the guise of false honour the property is saved (from being given to the girl in case of marriage and enmity is settled.
While rest of the world has benefited from the modern advancement of science and technology, it has put the back-ward societies into utter confusion. The complexities of behaviours and relationships have made the individual intolerant. When they are frustrated from the outside world they try to impose their decisions on the families. Therefore, these irrational acts end up in catastrophe for everyone in the society.
The confidence of the perpetrators is boosted due to ineffective laws. In Pakistani law books there are few laws to curb naming murders as honour killing. Hadood law is an example of this, where the victim of rape, usually a female; has to produce four witnesses to prove the case. Moreover, the law states that these witnesses should be law abiding pious Muslims. One can ask the law-makers and implementers that if the four law abiding pious Muslims were around and watching a rape, why they did not try to stop it? These paradoxical laws, which are full of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, encourage crime in Pakistani society.
Economic backwardness is yet another cause of these tragic incidents. Due to economic depression some families are unable to provide basic necessities to the victims who in turn decide to elope for better future. For the majority, this escape from the cruel reality is not successful. They usually end up in the hands of pimps or are caught by their own families who execute them to save the honour.
Religious leaders play an important role in the Pakistani society. They are the opinion leaders. They are respected and looked up to for guidance by a large number of people. Unfortunately, their role in this crisis is not appreciable mainly due to their having been graduated from a system that is not upgraded with the changing requirement of time. The clergy has become a profession and one can find mosques virtually, in every street of Pakistani cities and towns. Moreover, the Imams of these mosques consider themselves as authorities and give decisions, which can fill their coffers with more donations. This has eroded the very fibre of Pakistani society.
The so-called religious scholars have propagated such ideas that have doomed the status of women in the society. Their preaching’s have also given impression that male portion of the population is responsible for the maintenance of traditional Islamic values in the society. However, while imparting such types of messages, the true teachings of Islam are entirely ignored for personal gains. This rigidity on the part of pseudo-clerics has made the recovery mission virtually impossible.
No body can ignore the power of media in the 21st century, which is a source of imparting quick information in this electronic age. However, media is not playing a more positive role perhaps due to dearth of professional and technical staff. These include the sociologists who can assess and tell the cultural state of a society. Majority of people think that media is, telecasting vulgarity in the name of entertainment. Pomp and show shown on TV screen or silver screen does not reflect the everyday life of Pakistan. Consequently, the biggest role the media can play is still being neglected and’ that is to become an instrument of social reform. This issue can be largely addressed if proper discussions and forums are held. However, in the absence of such a goal-directing attitude, the media has to make a positive contribution. Shockingly, the role of women in this heinous crime is no less sinister. In majority of cases they participate in the murder and in some cases they try to protect the culprit by pledging that he is the earning hand and his actions were caused by a highly abnormal emotional condition. These household women are usually the only material witness and they mislead the trial. Moreover, they invoke family feuds and promote the fury of the male members. Unfortunately they even do not resist in case of family violence.
It is rightly said that the evil does not end with the completion of the Karo Kari act, rather the women killed under this inhuman and infamous act are buried without obsequies and funeral rites. Moreover plastering the grave with mud is also considered a crime.
In some areas of Sindh Eke Ratodero, Lolai and amongst Balochi tribes like Lohar, Tagirani, Brohi etc very few days go without a “Karo Karl” killing. However the “Karo” sometimes gets saved by paying a fine of Rs 150,000 to Rs 250,000, whereas, for the “Karl” it is a certain death.
There can be many more causes, which we can still identify and root out. However, the main issue is as to what effects these murders create in our society. Prima facie they have destabilized the society. Women folks have been rendered unsafe and thus robbed off the creativity which in many cases they possess more than their male counterparts. They feel terrified even in their homes and their mental growth is hampered.
These types of oppressions lead women to retreatism, which is the most fatal form of deviance. The victims who survive the attempts, which aren’t many, usually lose their mental balance, commit suicide or even fall a victim to drug addiction or alcoholism, if available. This also leads them to commit criminal acts to satisfy their desire to take revenge. Moreover, effects on children are unimaginable. There is also a state of lawlessness in the country, where men, particularly the influential ones, are allowed to do whatever they want in the name of honour. Even the law enforcement agencies are reluctant to cooperate with the victim’s families. We put the blame on the victim and even declare the victim as corrupt or unfaithful to the husband or family without investigation. To quote Jonathan Swift: “If vice can ever be abashed, it must be ridiculed or lashed. If you resent it who’s to blame? Should vice expect to scope rebuke Because its owner is a duke?” Tragically, there is no system of check and balance in our society where very few can dare to speak against the judgement of an SHO even. Sometimes the police is also bribed to hush up a case. Whatsoever be the causes and effects of honour killing in Pakistan the truth of the matter is that the murder of a person is the murder of mankind and the civilization. It should be stopped immediately. For that the government ha to play a pivotal role because the onus of providing the life security rests on the government. Therefore, the government has to promulgate such laws, which can deter these tragic events. The media has got additional responsibility to educate the masses about the sanctity of the human life. NGOs’ must also play their part. It is high time that they should stop playing with numbers and act to stop these numbers from increasing. Religious scholars can be more than useful to educate the masses who look towards them for inspiration and can be taught effective lessons to respect the human life in general. To respect the human life, in short it is the responsibility of everyone of us to try to stop this crime against humanity.
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