London is experiencing an increase in the honor killings. Thousands of young women in Britain are living in fear of the ‘hidden scourge’ of so-called honour killing, authorities are of the view that a murder for so-called honor is committed every two months in the capital.
Statistically it has been postulated that in the past ten years, more than 100 young Asian women, 81 of whom are from London itself, have been slaughtered just because of honor related ‘crimes’.
Most honor crimes in the UK involve South Asian families but cases have also featured Middle Eastern, West African, Turkish, Bosnian, Kosovan and Roma families.
CPS London’s Chief Crown Prosecutor Dru Sharpling in a conference said honour crimes were ‘disgraceful’ and added that honor crimes are crimes of violence which contain wholesale human rights abuses.
‘Honor crimes’ in the Asian community
While there is a great deal of research into honour crimes in the Middle East, India and Pakistan, but now it seems that the wave of murders in the name of family honour is also gaining ground in Britain.
Women are being subjected to violence and sometimes murdered for refusing to obey the traditions of their culture.
Their perceived crimes can include wanting to go to university, refusing an arranged marriage or having a boyfriend.
So what constitutes honour? Is this is a religious issue?
Although, religions do not play a part in these killings but it is also true that the perpetrators give religious justifications for such inhuman deeds.
The key factors are cultural and generational divisions, the victim’s refusal to toe a line and a reaction against a family or clan’s self-proclaimed code or rules.
Thus, it simply insinuates that the ‘tradition’ is being nourished by the male chauvinism that tries to stop women taking their own decisions. In other words, the killers believe it is culturally acceptable for them to murder to preserve, in their mind, the good name of the family.
It’s high time now!
Its high time now, all those who are in authority, must stop hiding themselves behind the shield of political correctness, which allows the practice of such killings to take place under the guise of a ‘cultural norm’.
