The United Nations states that an honor killing is commonly referred to as the murder (or attempted murder) of a woman or girl by the members of her family (commonly including the woman’s mother and/or mother-in-law) who do not approve of her behavior (United Nations).
In Afghan culture, women and girls embody the family honor, and families gain and maintain respect through a woman's actions. If a woman does something with which the family and the community do not agree, it decreases the level of respect that her family maintains in the community. Women are therefore the first to pay the price if they are perceived to have offended a "so-called honor", custom or tradition (Amnesty International).
These murders are therefore intended to "restore" the family’s social reputation (United Nations).
And by suggesting that the woman was killed for damaging her own "honor", the family implies that she brought the crime upon herself, thus making the crime legal (United Nations). And in many nations around the world, honor killings as punishment for offenses to customs and traditions is often an accepted defense (Amnesty International).
In Afghan culture, women and girls embody the family honor, and families gain and maintain respect through a woman's actions. If a woman does something with which the family and the community do not agree, it decreases the level of respect that her family maintains in the community. Women are therefore the first to pay the price if they are perceived to have offended a "so-called honor", custom or tradition (Amnesty International).
These murders are therefore intended to "restore" the family’s social reputation (United Nations).
And by suggesting that the woman was killed for damaging her own "honor", the family implies that she brought the crime upon herself, thus making the crime legal (United Nations). And in many nations around the world, honor killings as punishment for offenses to customs and traditions is often an accepted defense (Amnesty International).