Honor crimes in Pakistan were on the rise last year according to the country’s independent Human Rights Commission.
Close to 1,100 women and 88 men were the victims of honor crimes, including 170 who were minors. Crimes included being killed for marrying a man or woman of choice, rather than submit to a marriage arranged by one’s family.
Most victims were shot, but many also died or were severely disfigured by acid attacks or through being set on fire.
In addition, there were 833 reported cases of women being kidnapped.
But the numbers belie the reality of these crimes in Pakistan as an unknown number of these crimes in Pakistan remain undocumented.
In addition, the report states that that, “Despite the volume of cases, the rate of prosecution remained fairly low.”
The report also notes that, “Gender justice in access to education health, economic opportunities and political empowerment continued to elude women in 2015.”
In February, the legislature of Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, passed a bill prohibiting all forms of violence against women. The bill was denounced by more than 30 Islamic groups, including all the mainstream Islamic political parties.
A prominent cleric, Muhammad Naeem, head of Jamia Binoria International, called the bill a “tragedy” and said it would suppress men at the hands of women. He also denounced the bill, saying it was against the Quran and the Sunnah.
Clarion Project's award-winning interfaith movie Honor Diaries follows the stories of nine brave women's rights activists in their struggle against honor violence and female genital mutilation.
Watch the trailer:
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