Javed Soz Halai reports on the conditions of honor killing in Sindh.

Sindh is home to an ancient civilization – home to the ancient city of Moen Jo Daro with model town planning and drainage. Archaeological evidence suggests that this civilization valued hospitality and greater equality between men and women. Even today, in Sindh, men and women work in the fields together. A woman in rural Sindh will shake hands with an outsider.

But increasingly, women are being faced by different social restrictions and taboos. With greater instances of gender-based violence including domestic violence, cases of acid spilt on the faces of women who ‘disobey’, harassment in public places and honor killings, women are finding it difficult to move or participate in public spaces. They are increasingly feeling vulnerable and threatened.

In Sindh province, honor killing is a major form of violence. When it is perceived that a woman has had an ‘illicit’ interaction with another man, her relatives – including her father or brother – deem it necessary to kill her to protect the honor of the family. Such a woman is called a KARI (Black lady) and such a man is called KARO (Black Male).

In Sindh last year, in 2005, more than 3000 women killed in the incidents of the different kinds of violence. According to data released by an NGO in Sindh, 1457 women killed in the name of honor killing and 110 cases in which the man associated with the accused woman was also killed.

These Incidents mostly accrued in the six districts of the Upper Sindh namely, Larkana, Sukkur, Jecobabad, Shahdadkot and Sheikarpur Districts. Karo kari is not native to Sindhi culture but has its roots in Arabic culture and then has been transformed by Balochi tribes living in Balochistan when they migrated from Arab areas. When some Balochi families settled in Sindh this custom came to Sindh. It is merciless and inhuman custom but today families native to Sindhi also follow them.

In some cases girls and women killed under honor killing were not buried in the community graveyard; there is a separate graveyard for women killed under Karo-Kari (killing in the name of honor). Often, the families will then report the death and produce themselves at the local police station. Increasingly, however, the families are not going to the police station but are making a decision on the killings at their local community or tribal meeting (Jirga) where the family of the perpetrator sometimes has to pay fines in the order of lakhs.

In a recent incident in Sukkur, a girl of age 20 was killed under the honor killing because she was supposedly attracted to a Hindu Boy living in their neighborhood. When the parents of girl came to know this, the brother and father killed both the girl and this Hindu boy with axes. After killing them, they also they chopped their nose, lips and ears and the girl was buried in the graveyard.

Often, honor-killing is also performed for reasons of inheritance or owing to old enmities.

Although NGOs are working to reduce incidences of honor killing in certain areas with high incidences of such violence, it has been difficult owing to lack of political commitment. Local political parties lack the motivation to implement existing laws to enforce punishment or empower women. Similar lack commitment in the law enforcing agencies is also obvious. The Government of Pakistan has passed a Bill called the Karo Kari Bill but has not implemented in it appropriately.

Reduction of honor killing requires numerous agencies to work together and for various programs to be implemented.
• NGOs, GOs and other civil society groups should emphasize implementation of Government laws vis-à-vis the Karo Kari Bill and consider killing of a women as murder and not under a special status of honor killing.
• Increased awareness of the Karo Kari Bill among police and law enforcement agencies is necessary and training is required for these law enforcing agencies to appropriately handle these cases.
• Operation of local Jirgas should be supervised and those that have made decisions supporting or encouraging honor killing should be banned.
• Greater awareness should be created among communities at grass root level through workshops and information seminars. Common people, Religious leaders, Mosques Imams, Civil society members, NGOs, media and heads of the Tribes should be part of these efforts.

Javed Soz Halai works in Sindh on rights among labour and gender violence. He may be contacted at javedsozhalaiATyahooDOTcom

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