Honor killings by region
Murders by country and region / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of themselves or their family. Honor killings are often connected to religion, caste and other forms of hierarchical social stratification, or to sexuality, and those murdered will often be more liberal than the murderer rather than genuinely "dishonorable". Most often, it involves the murder of a woman or girl by male family members, due to the perpetrators' belief that the victim has brought dishonor or shame upon the family name, reputation or prestige.[1][2] Honour killings are believed to have originated from tribal customs.[3] They are prevalent in various parts of the world, natively in MENA countries and in South Asia especially in India, Pakistan and Nepal, as well as in immigrant communities in countries which do not otherwise (or historically) have societal norms that encourage honor killings.[4] Honor killings are often associated with rural and tribal areas, but they occur in urban areas too.[5][6] Although condemned by international conventions and human rights organizations, honor killings are often justified and encouraged by various communities.