What is Currently Happening
Qandeel Baloch was a 26-year-old Pakistani celebrity. Dubbed “the Kim Kardashian of Pakistan,” she was an activist for women’s rights in the Middle East, challenging Pakistan’s patriarchal norms and the government for their inequalities and corruption (Alam). Qandeel Baloch inspired thousands of young girls to advocate for themselves in Pakistan. With over thirty-six thousand followers on Twitter, she was a beloved but also a controversial figure, and her controversy led to her death. After her name reached large media companies, people began to wonder who Qandeel Baloch and her family were. On March 29th, 2016, her real name was revealed as Fouzia Azeem, and according to CNN, her family began to receive backlash for “not controlling” (Saifi, et al). Eighteen days later, on April 16, 2016, Qandeel Baloch was found strangled to death by her youngest brother, Khan Baloch. Her brother willingly admitted to the murder saying Quandeel Baloch had brought “shame” and “dishonor” to the family name (Sadiq). Her brother, later on, said he did not regret killing his sister, claiming it was his responsibility to hold his family accountable and make sure the family name was not tarnished. Khan Baloch was given life in prison for his crimes. However, three years later, he was acquitted of all charges due to a loophole in the Pakistani legal system (Sadiq). This is only one of the thousands of cases in Pakistan where victims of “honor” killings were failed by the justice system and their own government.
What are Honor Killings?
Honor killings are the murders of people who have brought “shame” onto a family. The victims of honor killings are killed for different reasons such as; having a significant other without the parent’s consent, being active on social media platforms, leaving a husband, failing to prove virginity, allegedly having sexual relationships, or being a victim of rape (Sadiq). Honor killings are oftentimes committed by husbands, sons, fathers, brothers, cousins, and uncles. As well as 93% of honor killing victims in Pakistan are female (Eloubeidi). Honor killings can also be linked back to many ancient civilizations as well. This can be seen in an ancient Roman society where men were ostracized or shamed by their peers if they did not punish their female relatives for alleged sexual misconduct. Holding men responsible for their family’s actions. The same case can also be seen in the Qing Dynasty in China where men were also allowed to kill their female family members who had broken societal social standards at the time (Pumbay).
Honor killings have been an ingrained patriarchal practice due to systemic misogyny in many cultures, leading to the legal system’s apathy to convict perpetrators of honor killings. Pakistan has the highest number of honor killings in the world, over 1,000 people are killed in Pakistan for “honor” each year. Pakistan is also currently ranked near the bottom of the World Economic Forum’s global gender index, being ranked 153 of 156 countries. The Pakistani government has also come criticized by multiple human rights organizations, such as the United Nations, for their alleged human rights violations against women (Eloubeidi). The legal system in Pakistan continuously fails to protect victims of honor killings due to legal technicalities such as old laws being incorporated into the Pakistan Penal Code; this can be seen with the Quas and Dias act which excuses honor killings if the victim’s mother pardons the crime. In 2004, The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act was passed, the act is also known as the “Honor Killings Act”. The Honor Killings Act makes honor killings punishable by law and also tries to get rid of some of the loopholes. However, a 2011 study by the Aurat Foundation found it did little to decrease honor killings or convict perpetrators of honor killings due the amendment not being enforced (Adil).
The Two Main Viewpoints
When Qandeel was killed, this instigated an outcry in Pakistan which led to media companies and Pakistani people calling for legislative action against honor killings and calling for the prosecution of Qandeel’s brother. However, the opposing side, which consisted of conservative Pakistani politicians, supported her brother’s decision.
The Pakistani Government’s Viewpoints
Pakistan’s previous president, Pervez Musharraf, has condemned honor killings and has called for increased investigation in honor killing cases by the court. However, Pervez Musharraf has overall done little to overturn Pakistan’s legal system that is constructed to discriminate against women. This is due to fear of criticism from the majority of Musharraf’s allies who are conservative. Therefore he must appeal to the majority of his allies’ ideals to gain more support, which puts the lives of many at risk (Knudsen). As well as that, instead of turning over discriminatory amendments in the past decade, new amendments have been added to disadvantage women and have decreased the chances for offenders to be caught. In 2016, Pakistan’s parliament attempted to pass a bill to protect women from domestic violence such as physical assault from their husbands. However, this bill failed after the Islamic ideology council had been asked to comment on this bill, decreeing it was ok for a husband to lightly beat his wife if needed. When the parliament tried to pass the bill without the Islamic ideology council, the Islamic ideology council responded by saying the Punjab assembly had committed treason. This is because Pakistan’s constitution states that no law shall be made against Islam (Associated Press), meaning that there is little to no separation of church and state in the Pakistani government. Lastly, Pakistan’s former prime minister from 2018 to 2022, Imran Khan, said that Pakistan is currently having its traditional values chipped away by “the west’s immoral mannerisms”. Imran Khan believes that Pakistan needs its moral family system including honor killings, in order to uphold social standards and their culture (Adil).
In an interview with Al Jazeera, police captain Faisal Mukhtar said that oftentimes police will act as the first point of contact, trying their best to side with the victim in these cases, however when it comes up to sentencing the court will rarely side with the victims (Adil).
In Pakistan’s legal system, when a man kills a woman due to adultery it is often excused with the justification of men being overtaken by their anger which they cannot control. Oftentimes men are either praised or victimized after killing a family member since they did it over passion and love, perpetuating the message that it is okay in the Pakistani legal system to kill a family member for “honor” (Knudsen).
According to Al Jazeera news, honor killings are oftentimes ingrained into Pakistani culture and customs. In some tribal councils in Pakistan, pressure is placed on family members (oftentimes men) to punish women who don’t follow social standards (Adil). In some rural areas, when the local police are asked to step in, oftentimes people or the police will cover the honor killings up by saying the person has commited suicide, leading to thousands of victims’ cases being covered up by their own government (Knudsen). With many of these cases being covered up, women in rural communities consider these honor killings or abuse part of their culture and it becomes normalized and accepted, and many cases of “honor” killings go under reported (Adil).
Perspectives from people opposing honor killings
Many human rights groups who take a universalist stance such as the United Nations have called for Pakistan to remove the honor killing loopholes and to persecute those who commit honor killings. In 2014 the United Nations human rights chief, Navi Pillay condemned honor killings by saying, “The Pakistani Government must take urgent and strong measures to put an end to the continuous stream of so-called ‘honour killings’ and other forms of violence against women” (UN News). In an interview with ANI news, anonymous social activists from Pakistan said that, “Honor killings, like any other act of violence, threaten a person’s life and liberty to exercise their right to life. They maintain that no one should be allowed to take law into his own hands and make decisions on his own, creating chaos and public disorder” (ANI News). Asma Yunus, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Sargodha, stated, “Karo Karii (honor killing) is driven by a complex interplay of factors like patriarchy, feudal culture, complicit role of the state institutions and law enforcement agencies, and a web of vested socio political interests”(ANI News).
Those who critique Pakistan for their lack of action believe that in order to address honor killings by the government, Pakistan needs stricter laws. Pakistan police also need more thorough training and increased support structures in order to support victims of domestic abuse. However, systematic change will not prevent honor killings from continuing to happen as this is a cultural issue of an ingrained patriarchal practice due to systemic misogyny. Pakistan needs to change their social structures that continue to enable honor killings such as their villages, the councils, and the elders. As well as that, public figures need to speak up for women’s human rights to raise more awareness (Alam). Haroon, a lawyer in Pakistan who defends women who are victims of domestic violence, said in an interview with Al Jazeera, “For laws concerning women, there is a lack of political will in terms of implementation” (Adil). In order for any systematic change to happen there must be a political will to combat honor killings from Pakistani leaders.
Why the Current State Action is Wrong
Through not enacting stricter punishments to combat honor killings or removing loopholes that allow for offenders to not be convicted, Pakistan is breaching several international laws. From a unilateralist perspective, Pakistan’s state actions are ethically and morally wrong and must be condemned.
The majority of Pakistan government officials condone honor killings due to the practice upholding Pakistan’s systemic misogyny that disadvantages women. Although some Pakistani government officials have tried to push for stricter laws against honor killings, they have not been enforced. With Pakistan’s government doing little to nothing in order to combat honor killings, thousands of women such as Quandeel Baloch are failed by their own government. With the government condoning honor killings, the idea that men are essentially the guardians of mortality and are superior to women continues. Making men responsible for their siblings’ actions and can punish them if they want. This is an extremely harmful rhetoric, and with the government condoning honor killings this message continues to prevail and uphold the patriarchy and systematic misogyny in Pakistan, disadvantaging women. In my opinion, this ideology is extremely outdated and is morally and ethically wrong. No human should be allowed to take the law into their own hands and commit murder and get away with it.
Some of the Most Evident Human Rights Laws that the Pakistani Government is breaking
Article 2 & 3 of the UN human rights
Article 2 of the UN human rights states that, “everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” Article 3 of the UN human rights states that, Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person (UN). Pakistan doing little to nothing to combat honor killings is a clear violation of these rights. Over 1,000 people are killed for “honor” each year because of their beliefs, alleged relationships, or having a social media platform, and the government does little to nothing to protect them because of these factors (Eloubeidi). Every single person no matter their beliefs, race, or sexuality has a right to life. Pakistan needs to protect these rights as it is their part of the social contract to protect their citizens. Therefore Pakistan’s government violates article 2 and 3 of the UN human rights because they are not ensuring their citizens right to life based on discrimination.
Article 10 of the UN human rights
Article 10 of the UN human rights states that, “everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.” Pakistan is in clear violation of article 10 since they have not taken clear action to make ensure their justice system is non discriminatory and ensure every victim gets justice (UN). The justice system in Pakistan is clearly biased with many offenders being released through biased loopholes which ensures they don’t get a harsh sentence. This means that thousands of victims fail to receive justice. Therefore through not taking clear action to ensure the justice system is non discriminatory Pakistan violates article 10 of the UN human rights.
Article 12 of the UN human rights
Article 12 of the UN human rights states that, “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attack” (UN). Pakistan is clearly in violation of article 12 of the UN human rights because they have not taken clear steps to ensure their citizens are safe from being murdered for “honor”. In article 12 it states, “everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks”(UN). However Pakistan violates this, with oftentimes cases of violence or honor attacks being dismissed due to the man being emotional therefore rationalizing the man’s decision. With men consistently being held to Pakistani patriarchal norms and the government doing little to enforce the laws against honor killings, citizens are not under the protection of the law against attacks. Therefore, the government of Pakistan’s actions violate article 12 of the UN human rights.
Some other human rights laws that have been violated are the UN human rights articles 18 and 19.
How to Take Action Against Honor Killings
If you would like to do more to help victims like Quandeel Baloch, here are a few resources to take action:
If you only have a minute, please consider donating to the Fund for Global Human Rights, The Fund for Global Human Rights supports activists in underdeveloped countries with financial and strategic support in order to support their communities and movements. In the past they have supported activists who are fighting against honor killings, LGBTQ+ activists, as well as women’s rights activists.
Furthermore, by sharing this article to friends or family members you can help raise awareness for honor killings to help bring victims of honor killings like Quandeel Baloch justice.
If you have more time and are interested in learning more, you can find additional resources linked down below to learn the full extent of the horrors of honor killings in Pakistan.
Pakistan: Honor killings targeting men and women – The European Country of Origin Information Network, in depth covering of the honor killings in Pakistan
Honor Crimes Archives – Amnesty International’s page on honor killings
Remembering the Victims of Honor Killings – True stories about honor killings in Pakistan compiled by the Telegraph
— The author of this article, Sara Landry can be reached at sarapimmada@gmail.com or follow them on Instagram @sara.lpl
Citations
Adil, Hafsa. “Pakistan: Laws Fail to Check Violence against Women.” Aljazeera.com, Al Jazeera, 12 June 2016, www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/6/12/pakistan-laws-fail-to-check-violence-against-women. Accessed 4 May 2022.
Alam, Zainab B. “Do-It-Yourself Activism in Pakistan: The Fatal Celebrity of Qandeel Baloch.” Perspectives on Politics, vol. 18, no. 1, 5 Aug. 2019, pp. 76–90, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/abs/doityourself-activism-in-pakistan-the-fatal-celebrity-of-qandeel-baloch/C7486B14E78BAAA6127302514D4A90B2, 10.1017/s1537592719002408. Accessed 4 May 2022.
ANI News. “Honour Killings Continue in Pakistan as Man Brutally Killed after Asking for Marriage.” ANI News, 29 June 2021, www.aninews.in/news/world/honour-killings-continue-in-pakistan-as-man-brutally-killed-after-asking-for-marriage20210629135446/. Accessed 4 May 2022.
Amnesty International. “The Horror of “Honor Killings.”” Amnesty International USA, Amnesty International USA, 10 Apr. 2012, www.amnestyusa.org/the-horror-of-honor-killings-even-in-us/. Accessed 10 Sept. 2022.
