Trigger warning: this article discusses a cultural phenomenon that may be very triggering.
Honor crimes are terrifying situations we hear of on a regular basis. We see them occurring all over the MENA region. These infamous honor crimes often provide a solid excuse for a man to murder a woman – be it his wife, girlfriend, sister, cousin, or even a stranger. I use the term “solid” not because the excuse is justifiable and makes sense, but because, unfortunately, in many countries, we see jail sentences being decreased with the use of this excuse, further normalizing the act of murder and the act of femicide.
A femicide is the proper term for these crimes. A femicide is defined as when one murders a woman for the simple fact that she is a woman. It is quite frankly a hard pill to swallow.
What are Honor Crimes?
Honor crimes are murders committed against women for the reason of “cleaning up the family’s tainted honor”, where said honor has been tainted by a woman. This so-called honor is tainted by a woman in cases where she has committed adultery or was presumed to have sexual relations with a man that is not a relative nor husband.
In short, these excuses diminish the word honor to be based on a woman’s chastity when it is much more than that and should have nothing to do with the individual choices a woman can freely make. Unfortunately, however, not many share this view and tend to believe that as “men of the house”, it is their job to keep a woman’s honor intact. That means using all types of oppressive measures to keep her “neat and safe” and to step on her ability to make individual choices – be it deciding to go to a market alone or marrying a man she, herself, decides to choose.
Honor crimes are just another addition to the violence against women we see happening on a daily basis, and while this notion has decreased as compared to previously, we still see so many honor crimes taking place still. The latest incident that was heard of just this year was in Lebanon, when a woman called Zeina Kanjo was strangled in her bed by her very own husband. Kanjo had no way of knowing that filing for a divorce against her abusive husband was going to lead to her death.
Of course, to cover his crime, her husband blamed it on adultery. He claimed that he saw her with somebody – a typical excuse to evade a heavy prosecution. This behavior is unfortunately seen in many, and what is worse is that many deem it understandable when a man murders his wife if she commits adultery.
Honor Crimes & Mental Health
It is very scary that the murder of women is being normalized when she does something that is not deemed “clean”. Many women are placed in this box, where their every move is controlled, and where they feel that they need to consider every choice they make and its potential impact on their surroundings. They need to think twice about what they decide because one wrong move could lead to their murder.
This generates fear – deep-seated fear within these women, and their mental health is impacted severely. Moreover, this constant threat may lead to voluntary or involuntary suicide. In many cases, women who are accused of tainting a family’s honor are filled with shame so much that they decide to take their own lives before a family member does it.
It is important to also note that the children being impacted by being witnesses to such an immoral “tradition”. The fact that they could be a witness to crimes against women places them at risk to develop anxiety and depression and even behavioral problems or even substance abuse.
Fortunately, in many countries, honor crimes have decreased. However, this does not mean that they are not present any longer. These communities that believe in honor crimes not only risk tainting their children with an immoral tradition, but also negatively impact the women living within that toxic environment, deteriorating their mental health in the process. An honor crime is simply another word for femicide and is just a way for men to control women.