It is heartening to see that Punjab has joined 20 other states to empower the Centre to bring a legislation against honour killings. Stringent measures are needed to curb this menace of honour killing. A strict law will go a long way in controlling the social evil to some extent, but along with that people need to be educated about what loss these killings cause to society.
Honour killings are the result of our social conditioning. We have to understand that those involved in this crime are the family members of the victims, who succumb to societal pressures and dogmatic traditions. They end up killing their very own – people who they are expected to protect and look after. This thought process needs to change, we need to recognize the changes that are taking place in society and adjust our own response to them. The fabric of society is changing , but how can the fundamentals like love and respect for the views of family members, caring and protection of the weaker ever change?
Efforts should be made to educate people that murder is not the answer. If parents are against their children’s choice of a life partner, they should reason it out with them. Norms have been formed to hold society together. But nowhere has it been written that you can kill in the name of caste or tradition.
We have a long way to go so far as honour killings are concerned. I have always felt that for such heinous crimes, there is need for a separate law. As family members are involved in such cases, there are no complaints or witnesses. The onus has to be shifted to the killers to prove their innocence. To address this problem we needed an effective law apart from some serious social dialogue on the matter. But, I again repeat, such human rights violations are deep-seated in our psyche and this retrograde thought process needs to change first. Remember it is not honourable to murder your son or daughter in the name of protecting your family name.