Honour Killings in Pakistan will it ever stop ?

According to Amnesty International, honour killings are the most widespread in Pakistan. A recent report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) states that 647 women were killed in the name of "honour" in 2009, an increase of 13% from 2008 when 574 such killings were reported. Honour killing is carried out for the flimsiest of reasons whereby the honour of men in the family is perceived to have been injured. Suspicion of marital infidelity, pre-marital sex, flirting, not following codes of conduct laid down by male members of the family or even failing to serve a meal on time that can be perceived as impugning the family honour. If a woman has been branded ‘kari’ (black woman) by a ' jirga' (tribal assembly), her husband is entitled to kill her and her alleged lover



Honor killing Defines
An honor killing is a murder, nearly exclusively of a woman, who has been perceived as having brought dishonor to her family. Such killings are typically perpetrated by the victim’s own relatives and/or community and unlike a crime of passion or rage-induced killing; it is usually planned in advance. Official data shows that about 6000 were killed; most of these belonged to Punjab, followed by, Sindh, NWFP and Baluchistan. Of the 2774 murdered women, 1578 were killed in Punjab, 751 in Sindh, 260 in NWFP and 185 in Baluchistan. Of the 1327 murdered men, 675 were killed in Punjab, 348 in Sindh, 188 in NWFP and 116 in Baluchistan.2 In Sindh, it was noticed that literacy had a strange association with such killings, which is evidenced by the fact that nine such murders were committed in Karachi with literacy rate of 65.26%; the lowest literacy rate is in Tharparker (18.32%) where no such murder was committed.3 Women in rural areas are constantly suppressed and this reality is further augmented by low literacy level, male dominance and hidden agendas. But what I think that honour killing is associated with the ego the men have, and due to his wild person inside and the so called dominant behaviour.
  defines “honor killings”
Honor crimes are acts of violence, usually murder, committed by male family members against female family members, who are held to have brought dishonor upon the family. A woman can be targeted by (individuals within) her family for a variety of reasons, including: refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce — even from an abusive husband — or (allegedly) committing adultery. The mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that “dishonors” her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life. In societies and cultures where they occur, such killings are often regarded as a “private matter” for the affected family alone, and courts rarely become involved or prosecute the perpetrators. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that the annual worldwide total of honor-killing victims may be as high as 5,000 women.
HONOR KILLING IN PAKISTAN


While women and girls die at the hands of their husbands, fathers and brothers in Pakistan, the authorities pay lip service to their obligations to protect them. The Pakistani authorities constantly ignore honour crimes at the expense of womens most fundamental human rights - the rights to life and freedom from torture and ill-treatment
 cases:

Zahida was left with a disfigured face after an attempted honour killing.

Burying alive is often resorted to in karo-kari related crimes.

A man, Munir, shot dead his mother, Haleema (40), for ‘Honour’ at Muhammadi Road in Shershah locality within the jurisdiction of Shershah Police Station. The jeering of the people living in the area making allegations about her character is supposed to have made him commit the crime. (Shershah, 14 July, 2010) 

• Even pregnant women are not exempt from honour killings. An eight-month pregnant woman, 26-year-old Fahima, was allegedly killed by her family in the name of honour. According to the victim’s husband Gul Zamin, the couple had got married against their families’ wishes and eloped from Swabi to Karachi, where they had been hiding for the last seven years in fear of their lives. (Karachi, 20 January, 2010)

An honour killing is not an uncommon occurrence in rural Sindh where murderers operate with impunity, often killing a woman to cover up another crime, safe in the knowledge that they will be treated with leniency if he is seen as guardian of the moral order. It doesn't help that the police are more interested in lining their pockets than enforcing the law. According to an NGO worker, "Most honour killings are never be reported because the police is so corrupt. The people would rather suffer than go to the police."
I will tell you,

we love our daughters, but if one of them dares to love, she must be killed, the custom (karo-kari ) works by putting fear in the girls, because if one girl gets away with falling in love, the others here might think its their right to reject their engagements and fall in love. Their fathers and brothers will be shamed and their fiances' families will not forgive them. The men cannot be seen as weak, they will avenge their honour and there will be many unnecessary deaths.

CONCLUSION:
There are so many things to write about honor killing but it is of no use because of the government attitude towards stopping this menace, and eradicating from the society. Why we can not eradicate this brutality from society? Why we can not stop violence? Why we can not give rights to women? Why. In my opinion this is all because of the weak law and order situation and no fear of being punished. When criminals are rulling the government in Pakistan and sitting in the parliaments than in this situation how we can expect any change in Pakistani society. The only hope is that men should personally realize the rights of women and start considering them as human and this change can only be possible if illiteracy rate can be controlled. NGOs and human activists should conduct seminars and awareness campaigns to aware the people about the consequences of honour killing and should force the government to take effective steps to eradicate the wadeera hold from interior part of Pakistan other wise this practice can not be controlled and it will keep on increasing and make its hold more stronger.

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By: Aisha

'Is there a need to get girls educated?'

"Is there a need to get our girls educated? Whats the use?". These are questions frequently asked by the educationists who go to rural areas to spread awareness about the importance of getting the females educated.



Girls in rural areas have to face many cultural and social problems.One of the most deplorable aspects is that in some places, particularly northern tribal areas, the education of girls is strictly prohibited on religious grounds.This is a gross misinterpretation of Islam,which like other religions urges men and women both to seek knowledge.

Though the need has been felt by some rural parts of Pakistan still alot of girls are not able to acquire education beyound secondary level simply because one does not exist for girls. Though there are a few privately-run middle schools but the fees for such school is so high that the poor families of the village can not afford them.

While the U. N. recommends that developing countries set aside four percent of gross national product (GNP) for education, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) annual report for 2004 shows that spending is still only 1.8 percent of GNP. Thus the annual spending needs to be increased and specially for girls who receive only a small weightage.

There are vast gender and regional disparities between the provinces. While the overall literacy rate in Sindh is 56 percent, it is only 36 percent in Balochistan and substantial disparities also exist at the district level within provinces.

Pakistan's overall literacy rate of 54 percent in 2004 was achieved largely due to an increased emphasis on basic education in the country to achieve the U.N. millennium development goals (MDGs) of universal primary education, according to the SBP report.

But the need for higher education needs to be felt now and secondary schooling should be easily available to those who can build a brighter future for Pakistan.

Ways to improve education in Pakistan

Education in Pakistan is effected by several factors such as the existence of cost effective schools, better curricula and an awareness amongst parents about the importance of education specially in rural areas. But above all the single most important factor is to make sure that the children complete their basic primary education.

However there are institutional reforms that can help improve Pakistans educational sysytem so that it can achieve its goal of completeion of primary education nationwide.

The first reform will be to create decentralisaion that is better education should be provided at village and district level and not only at the bigger cities of the state. The bureaucracy shoul not be allowed to interfer with the needs and requirements of schools at lower levels but should delegate responsilbility to local authorities.

Another step that can be taken to improve the educational system is by providing better support and coordination at district and provincial levels. The most important element of any school is good faculty and the central education body should make sure that the students at the lower levels have this facility.

Finally the last but the most important factor in improving education in Pakistan is to spread awareness amongst the rural population about the necessity of education for both girls and boys. Then annual research should be conducted to compare figures and to learning achievement across schools, districts and regions over time.

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I don’t want to feel miserable, but I am.

 

 

Questioning Life & My Options

i've come to a point in my life where I find myself at a crossroad. I’ve been struggling the last 3YEAR and a 5months living with paralysis. It’s impossible to truly express the emotional rollercoaster ride that I’ve been on, since June 2008. I’ve tried my best to be open, about my thoughts and feelings. I’ve tried very hard to convey the magnitude of loss that I sustained, due to my injury, as well as the hardships of living with paralysis on a daily basis. Despite my best efforts, I feel like the average person can never understand how much I’ve suffered and continue to suffer. Words alone, aren’t enough to garnish empathy; sympathy perhaps. Even the people closest to me, that witness all that I have to endure, can never know what it’s like to live in my shoes. Although I often seek advice from other people living with paralysis, the pool of people that have/are lived/living through what I have/am, is very small. .

Paralysis is so unique a state of being, that many times the things I experience (sensations, or lack thereof) have no comparison to when I was working properly . Unless you’ve lived through it, you have no idea what it’s like. Anything you imagine is pale in comparison to what it’s like to live with it. .  . Unfortunately, I do feel phantom pains, pressure and discomfort, that has no real rhyme or reason, and usually has no medical diagnosis, or solution. There is no way to fully grasp how it feels to lose all sense of independence and dignity overnight. My spinal cord injury stole my ability to be self sufficient in a matter of seconds, and I’ve been wrestling with how to cope with the void left behind,  My injury has left me feeling constantly vulnerable, anxious, depressed, full of regret, lost, deprived and scared. While I’ve tried my best to remain positive, despite the bleak reality that a cure is most likely never going to be a reality for me, I feel justified in feeling the way that I do. I’ve made proactive steps ever since day one, to stay as positive and as mentally strong as possible, so that I could somehow keep moving forward, against my inner dissatisfaction of my life and the compromises I’m forced into making every day. I’ve sought counseling, gone to therapy, take an ever growing number of pills (anti-depressants, sleep aides and anti-anxiety meds), share with my peers, write, paint, pray meditate, distraction, etc. and feel like I’m running on vapors and running out of options. I’ve been pushing forward more so for my loved ones, than for myself, and find it increasingly harder to find reason, and/or motivation to essentially keep torturing myself.

I feel as though I’m battling myself, in finding reasons to keep moving forward. In the late hours of the night, I think about my life and the choices I’ve made. I beat myself up over regrets and find myself pleading and begging God to be merciful. Every night, for a long while, I’ve asked God  cure me, or take me. Obviously, I’ve yet to get a response. I can’t help but wrestle with myself over morals and ethics. I wonder if giving up on relying on others is the same as taking my own lifeI’m left wondering if I can find the answers, and if so where? Although part of me feels like a failure, or weak for considering death, I feel like I have the right to know the answers to these questions.
I’m just looking for answers. I don’t expect anyone to advocate the thought of giving up on life. I understand that there are many people that are fine with their lives, and living with paralysis. I also expect that most anyone who reads this will probably try and dissuade me from taking drastic measures and offer me I pep talk. I’m not even saying that I am giving up. I just want to know what my options are, at this point in my life. I realize that I’m at a very low point; that’s precisely why I’m seeking help. I don’t want to feel miserable, but I am.