The distinctive nature of honor killings is the collective nature of the crime – many members of an extended family plan the act together, sometimes through a formal “family council”. This has been called the “ honor defense“. In some cases of honor killing that were brought before German courts murder charges have been reduced to manslaughter. Men can also be the victims of honor killings by members of the family of a woman with whom they are perceived to have an inappropriate relationship, or by partaking in homosexual activity.
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The mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that “ dishonors” her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life. A woman can be targeted by (individuals within) her family for a variety of reasons, including: refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce-even from an abusive husband-or (allegedly) committing adultery. Honor killings are acts of vengeance, usually death, committed by family members against female family members, who are held to have brought dishonor upon the family. Human Rights Watch defines “ honor killings” as follows: Comparison and contrast to femicide in the WestĪn honor killing or shame killing is the murder of a member of a family, due to the perpetrators’ belief that the victim has brought shame or dishonor upon the family, or has violated the principles of a community or a religion, usually for reasons such as divorcing or separating from their spouse, refusing to enter an arranged marriage, being in a relationship that is disapproved by their family, having premarital or extramarital sex, becoming the victim of rape or sexual assault, dressing in ways which are deemed inappropriate, engaging in non-heterosexual relations or renouncing a faith.Restoring honor through a forced marriage.
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Allegations and rumors about a family member.Refusal of an arranged or forced marriage.Humility, Modesty, Chastity, and Temperance.