Blog 3 Rise in Honor Killings 2/26

The rate of deaths of Palestinian women is on the rise.  The killings of these women are shockingly committed by members of their own family.  The act of shunning one in your family has reached a dangerously, disheartening approach.  This increase of murdering one’s own family is to illustrate family honor.  In Palestinian regions it is seen as the norm to commit violence against women to be accepted within the community.  They are currently in the process of creating more laws protecting women and crimes committed against them.  Women’s rights activists are demanding their government to establish short sentences to those that murder women family member all in the sake of honor.  Several discussions have taken place regarding this issue yet still no level of significance has been created.  Government officials presented that there were more relevant issued that needed to be resolved first.  Of those government officials that downplayed this issue, were all men.  They have strict gender separation guidelines that are punishable by societal norms.  Not only are these killings committed by the woman’s own family but also they are usually brutally performed.  Executors are usually given some short sentences if any at all.  Judges in the cases involving these murders come from the same community that support these honor killings so the consequences aren’t very severe.  Because of this control over the society, it creates a never ending cycles regarding women’s rights.

These murders are formally known as honor killing which is traditional of Arab societies.  But just because something is seen as being traditional of a region, does that make it okay to still commit in today’s society?  The region is on a constant battle for freedom and human rights yet they are denying women of theirs.  This is a global social issue because it symbolizes the fight for women’s right is a never ending struggle.  No matter the region of the world there are still certain discriminations that go against women.  Even though the rate of deaths was only 26 women, it is 26 women too many that had to endure struggle and murder all for the sake of not holding their family name appropriately as constructed by society.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rise-killings-palestinian-women-relatives-22682925