Understanding Cultural Aspects of Domestic Violence in Pakistan

Case 11 for teaching package on domestic violence Name of presenter and institution

Cultural aspects of violence: Domestic violence in Pakistan

Aims and objectives To demonstrate that culture and religious beliefs can result in honour killings To show the importance of including religious authorities in preventive programmes

Case details A 25 aged Pakistani woman, Parveen, was beaten to death by members of her own family in Lahore Parveen was in love with Mohammad for many years and had decided to marry him against her family s wishes. Her father had promised her in marriage to a cousin whom she refused to marry Parveen had been three-months pregnant When Parveen and Mohammad left the courthouse in Lahore after registering their marriage, her father and about 20 extended family members awaited her. They tried to pull her away and when she refused to leave Mohammad, they hit her with bricks until she was dead

Case details Even though the courthouse was located on a main Lahore street and it was daytime, onlookers did not intervene After the attack Parveen`s father gave himself up, calling the crime an honour killing , saying "I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regrets over it . The police are still searching for the other perpetrators Shocked by the brutal nature of the crime the Pakistani Ulema council began to organize a summit to address honour killings. Pakistani religious leaders published a decree which called honour killings un-Islamic

Learning points Most reported cases of honour killings in Pakistan occur in the countryside, as people living there are more conservative and poorer 58% of the victims of honour killings worldwide were killed for being too western . Women are accused of this for various reasons - being too independent , disobeying their fathers/family`s wishes and /or cultural and religious expectations Parveen was killed because she ignored her families wishes and refused to marry a cousin. Instead she decided for herself which man she would marry

Learning points In Pakistan arranged marriages are common (about 77%) and often occur inside the family. Most women are promised during childhood to a man they barely know Due to cultural beliefs women have no rights, oppression of females is common and women are considered by men as less valuable 42% of of honour killings in the Muslim world were committed by multiple perpetrators Due to the principle Karo Kari and a special law, the family of the victim can forgive the perpetrators and no further prosecution takes place Honour killings are still considered as a private matter and not reported to the police

Learning points The perpetrators are often convinced that they are doing the right thing, feel no guilt and will escape justice Preventive measures such as education should aim to change this way of thinking and to encourage spectators to intervene As honour killings are often based on wrong and fanatical religious beliefs, it is extremely important to include religious authorities as they have more influence on the population than laws and the government

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