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Increase in Honor Killings in Afghanistan

Sunday, October 1, 2006
The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) reported that there has been an increase in honor killings over the past year.  In honor killings, women and girls are murdered because they are believed to have brought shame to the family name.

The number stands at 185 honor killings last year, though such practices often go unreported.  Women who refuse to enter into arranged marriages or are involved in relationships that their family deems inapporpriate often either commit suicide or flee their homes to escape such measures.

The United Nations humanitarian news and information service, IRIN News, suggests that this recent rise is due to widespread discriminatory practices against Afghani women coupled with a lack of law enforcement.  AIHRC also suggests that the increase in killings, especially in the south, can be attributed to the resurgence of the Taliban in the Southern provinces.

Though the Afghan Constitution protects women's rights, the deep-rooted cultural practice is often not treated as murder.  A change in attitudes must first be achieved to end such a detrimental practice.

Complied from: Feminist News Digest, http://www.feminist.org/images/FMF_home_logo.gif and

 AFGHANISTAN: Honour killings on the rise, IRINnews.org, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=55574&SelectRegion=Asia&SelectCountry=AFGHANISTAN (15 Sep 2006)

To find out more

Click here to view UNIFEM's page on Afghanistan

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