"Honor" Killings

BBC Says Ethnic Domestic Violence "Hidden"

Samantha Stevens
Soc 202
Prof. Sills
09/20/07

Delegates to a conferences in Swansea, Wales this week were told that often, domestic violence in ethnic and minority communities went unreported. In Wales alone, there are at least 12 deaths a year from domestic violence in these communities, not counting the many cases that are never investigated or that are wrongly reported as suicides. Recently in the news, domestic violence has taken the form of "honor killings", such as the murder of Surjit Athwal. Athwal's husband and mother-in-law were charged last week in London with her murder, which occured in 1998. After Ms. Athwal's husband, Sukhdave Athwal, found out that she wanted a divorce, he and his mother, Bachan Athwal, planned out and committed the murder of Ms. Athwal. The fact that it took over 9 years for authorities to gather enough information for a conviction shows further the difficulty that comes with investigating such cases.
These "honor killings" are scene as a way for a family to rid themselves of shameful wives and daughters. They glaringly display the ubiquitous objectification of women in such cultures, where male need to control women justifies horrendous crime and encroachment of human rights.
These "honor killings" must be stopped. However, this cannot be done by mere law enforcement. The basic tenets of a society that allow and support these practices must be reversed. Women can no longer be treated as commodities, disposable at will. Women in these cultures must be given the confidence to stand up to their oppressors, and take control of their decisions and lives without actually having to fear for their lives. This change will not come overnight: it probably will not come quickly. But awareness must be raised, and support lent to these women, who must fear to take hold of their most basic of human rights.