Rising Concern: Honor killings surge by 43% in Pakistan's Sindh region
In recent years, honor killings have been a persistent issue in Pakistan, a South Asian country long plagued by this archaic and brutal practice. The latest statistics from the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reveal a concerning trend: in 2024, 405 women were killed in honor killing cases, a significant increase from the 226 reported in 2023.
The increase is not confined to rural districts but has also been observed in urban centers like Karachi. In Pakistan's southern Sindh province, for instance, there has been a 43% increase in honor killing cases from January 1 to August 31, 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. The Sindh police reported 142 honor killing cases during this period, compared to 99 in the same period the previous year. More than 100 women were among the victims in Sindh province alone from January to August 2021.
The rise in honor killings has been attributed to improved reporting and non-implementation of laws by Nuzhat Shireen, a former chairperson of the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women. Shireen also blames a "lack of government will and priorities" for the rise in these cases.
Pakistan passed a law in 2016 to close loopholes that once allowed families to "forgive" perpetrators in honor killing cases. However, conviction rates remain extremely low, often below 2%, according to both UN estimates and the commission's data. Legal experts and human rights activists have expressed concern over the increase in honor killings and the low conviction rates.
Ali Ahmed Palh, a lawyer and human rights activist, stated that honor killings are not only being reported more, but are also happening more frequently, and have spread beyond tribal areas to other regions. Palh also notes that honor killings are often disguised as suicides, and laws and court judgments on honor killing cases are not properly implemented.
In July 2021, a tragic incident in the garrison city of Rawalpindi saw the arrest of a father and the ex-husband of an alleged honor killing victim. The region with the highest number of honor killings in 2024, according to the commission, is not explicitly stated in the provided search results.
Palh calls honor killings a "stigma on society," and notes that those who commit this offense are often rewarded in feudal and tribal areas. The practice is deeply rooted in a strict code of "honor" that permeates much of Pakistani society, with women being beholden to their male relatives over choices around education, employment, and who they can marry.
The police in southwestern Balochistan province arrested 11 suspects in the same month after a video shared online appeared to show a young couple being fatally shot for marrying without their families' approval, highlighting the urgent need for action to address this persistent issue.
