Honor Killings: The International Legal Framework and Remaining Challenges.

Honor killing represents one of the most brutal and persistent forms of gender-based violence that violates fundamental human rights and undermines the rule of law. Honor killing is the murder of a woman or girl by male family members. The killers justify their actions by claiming the victim has brought dishonor upon the family name or prestige through conduct perceived as violating social, cultural, and traditional norms. There are pertinent questions attached to “honor killings.” Are these killings actually “honorable”? And who is supposed to decide that a particular situation has brought dishonor to the family? How does a person end the life of another person to protect the honor of the family?

According to the The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), honor killings can be defined as a form of gender-based violence that is based on discrimination against women and girls. These crimes are not individual incidents of interpersonal violence; instead, they are manifestations of deeply entrenched patriarchal structures that are designed to oppress women’s autonomy, sexuality, and personal choices. The reason behind such criminal acts is the support and approval of family and community members, and they are often accompanied by a culture of impunity.²

Causes of Honor Killings:

Honor killings are caused by a complex interaction of social, cultural, economic, and institutional factors. The principal causes include the following:

Patriarchal Social Structures:

Patriarchy is widely recognized as the primary cause of honor killings. In patriarchal societies, women are taken to be the carriers of family honor, and their conduct is subjected to greater scrutiny than that of men. In patriarchal societies, men are typically considered the primary figures of authority, leadership, and moral guidance. They are viewed as the natural heads of the households, main economic providers, and decision-makers; this patriarchal system does not help women since it restricts their autonomy, limits their financial independence, and subjects  them to systematic inequality. In such households, women are treated as property rather than independent individuals. Their choices regarding marriage, career, and social interactions are seen as decisions that entirely belong to their male relatives.³

A family’s social status, prestige, and “honor” are disproportionately linked to the bodies, chastity, and behavior of female members; any perceived transgression, such as refusing an arranged marriage, seeking divorce, or choosing an unapproved partner, is treated as a direct attack on male authority and the family’s reputation.

In patriarchal communities, men are socialized to believe they are the guardians of the family’s reputation. Men often resort to violence to avoid being ostracized, using  murder as a weapon to cleanse the family’s perceived shame and restore status. In Afghanistan, women and girls are considered bearers of family honor. They are often the first to pay the price if they are perceived to have offended custom, tradition, or so-called honor. Women who are assumed to have had sexual relations outside marriage (zina) are widely perceived to have brought shame on their families and are at risk of honor killing either on the initiative of their male family members or at the direction of local councils comprised of male elders. Rape victims, too, are at risk of honor killing, as they are considered to have brought shame on their family by an act of which they are the victims.⁴ It is difficult to determine exactly how many women and girls fall victim to honor killings; however, according to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), between January 2011 and May 2013, 243 cases of honor killings were recorded.  A 10-year-old girl, Brishna, from Kunduz Province in Afghanistan was raped by a local mullah in 2014. She faced threats of honor killing by family and community members.⁵ The greatest injustice in honor-based societies is that “honor” is often associated with a woman’s perceived sexual purity rather than with the moral conduct of men. Although Brishna was only a ten-year-old child and the victim of rape, she was viewed as having brought “shame” upon her family. The rapist who committed the offense was not initially subjected to the same social condemnation. This shows that honor-based violence is driven by patriarchal control rather than justice,but the question is why the victim, rather than the perpetrator, becomes the target of violence. Why is the survivor considered responsible for the incident?

Gender Inequality and Discrimination:

Gender inequality and discrimination against women are the major causes of honor killings. Restrictions on women’s education, freedom of speech, employment, mobility, and decision-making contribute to an environment in which violence is used to enforce traditional gender norms.

Discriminating social norms and biased legal frameworks have historically allowed men to evade severe punishment under the guise of restoring family pride. The financial dependence of women on male relatives limits their ability to escape abusive environments or challenge violent familial dictates.Basic human rights, such as choosing a marriage partner, seeking a divorce, or reporting sexual assault, are viewed as defiance. Honor killings, therefore, represent an extreme manifestation of gender-based violence.

Gender inequality and discrimination against women are deeply rooted in society.⁶ When a girl is raped, people often blame the victim instead of punishing the culprit. The community’s response focused more on preserving family reputation than seeking justice for a victim who had suffered a brutal assault. Consequently, when sexual violence occurs, even without the victim’s consent, it is the survivor who is perceived to have damaged the family’s reputation. This discriminatory mindset explains why Brishna faced threats of death. This reverses the roles of victim and offender, allowing the perpetrator to escape social stigma while the survivor bears its consequences.

Social Pressure and Community Approval:

Family members often commit honor killings because they fear social exclusion, public humiliation, or damage to the family’s reputation. Pakistan’s first social media star, Qandeel Baloch, was killed at the age of 26 by her brother Waseem in July 2016. It was a so-called honor killing. He thought that the videos and photographs she had been posting online brought disrespect to their family. One man told Waseem, “You have no ghairat (honor).”

“Your sister is singing and dancing in her knickers, and you are living a luxurious life with the money she earns.”⁷

When Waseem was arrested after the murder, he was presented at a press conference where journalists questioned him: “Why did you kill your sister?”

He replied that the reason was the way she was posting on the Internet. Qandeel Baloch’s brother has been sent to prison for her murder, but is he the only one to blame?

When a journalist wrote about Qandeel Baloch’s case, a man told her, “You should not call this an honor killing.”

“This woman was not murdered in the name of honor.” He said. “She was murdered because of people’s judgment.” He killed her because he was trying to silence that judgment.

We know about Qandeel, but many of the victims remain unknown, who have faced honor killings because of societal pressure and community disapproval.⁸

Weak Enforcement of Criminal Laws:

There is high impunity associated with Honor killings due to poor law enforcement, delayed prosecution, ineffective investigation, witness intimidation, and societal pressure. Although several countries have undertaken legislative reforms, lack of implementation remains a significant challenge. The absence of effective enforcement leads to impunity; that’s why  offenders believe that their crime will either not be investigated or will receive lenient punishment and biased judgment, and low conviction rates also help perpetrators to escape accountability.⁹

The United Nations Human Rights Council has stated that a state’s failure to exercise due diligence not only denies justice to victims but also encourages future acts of violence by signaling that such crimes will go unpunished.¹⁰ Traditional councils are also a big hurdle in the way of criminal prosecution; these tribal forums sometimes resolve honor killing cases through mediation or family settlements instead of criminal prosecution. Such practices conflict with international human rights standards because murder is a public offense against the state and cannot be treated merely as a private family dispute. The United Nations has repeatedly stated that mediation or negotiated settlements should never replace criminal prosecution in cases involving violence against women or honor killings.¹¹

International legal framework:

Honor killings constitute a grave violation of internationally recognized human rights. Although no international treaty specifically addresses honor killings as a separate offense, various international human rights instruments impose binding and persuasive obligations upon states to prevent gender-based violence and protect victims, investigate crimes, prosecute offenders, and ensure collective remedies.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), 1948, serves as the cornerstone of the modern international human rights system.Though it is not a legally binding treaty, its provisions have become widely accepted as customary international law and have led to the formation of numerous binding human rights treaties.

Honor killings violate several provisions of the UDHR, including:

Article 1 recognizes that all human beings are born free and are equal in dignity and rights.

Article 2 guarantees the enjoyment of all rights without discrimination based on gender  or any other status.

Article 3 guarantees the right to life, liberty, and security of a person.

Article 5 prohibits cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 7 guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the law.

By permitting or failing to prevent honor killings, states undermine these fundamental guarantees and violate their responsibility to protect individuals from unlawful deprivation of life and discrimination.¹²

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW):

The Convention on the Elimination of All Kinds of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), 1979, is an international treaty that protects women’s rights.

Mostly described as the “International Bill of Rights for Women,” CEDAW obliges states to eliminate discrimination against women in law and practice.     

Article 2 obliges states to adopt legislative and other appropriate measures that prohibit discrimination against women and establish effective legal protection.

Article 5 obliges states to modify social and cultural patterns based on stereotypes and customs that perpetuate discrimination and violence against women.

The CEDAW committee, through General Recommendation No. 19 and General Recommendation No. 35, recognizes gender-based violence, including honor killings, as a form of discrimination that seriously impairs women’s enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The committee further emphasizes that states must exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, prosecute, punish, and provide remedies for such violence.¹³

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 1966, imposes legally binding obligations on states to respect and ensure civil and political rights of people.

Honor killings violate several provisions of the ICCPR, particularly:

Article 2 requires states to ensure legal protection through an effective legal system without  any form of discrimination.

Article 3 guarantees that enjoyment of civil and political rights is equally available to both sexes.

Article 6 recognizes that every human has the right to life.

Article 7 prohibits torture and cruel, inhumane  and degrading treatment.

Article 26 guarantees equality before the law and equal protection against any form of discrimination.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has consistently interpreted Article 6 as a positive obligation upon states to protect individuals from foreseeable threats to life, including violence committed by private individuals where authorities fail to exercise due diligence.¹⁴

Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (DEVAW):

The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (DEVAW), 1933, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to address violence against women as a human rights issue.

Article 1 defines violence against women as gender-based violence that results in physical, sexual, and psychological harm.

Article 2 includes violence occurring within the family.  Honor killings fall squarely within this definition because they’re committed primarily against women to enforce discriminatory social norms.

Article 4 obliges states to condemn violence against women, also refrain from invoking custom, tradition, or religion as justification for violence, and adopt effective legislative, administrative, and judicial measures to eliminate such practices.¹⁵

Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality):

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes gender equality as a prerequisite for sustainable development.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Target 5.1 seeks to end all forms of discrimination against women and girls.

Target 5.2 obliges states to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private spheres.

Target 5.3 aims to eradicate harmful practices, including child marriage, and other practices rooted in gender discrimination.

Although honor killings are not expressly mentioned, they clearly fall within the category of gender-based violence and harmful practices that SDG 5 seeks to eradicate.

The international legal framework clearly establishes that honor killings constitute grave violations of the right to life, equality, dignity, and freedom from discrimination.¹⁶

Remaining Challenges:

Despite significant legal reforms, honor killings  still continue to occur due to deep-rooted social, cultural, institutional, and legal challenges. The enactment of legislation cannot solve the problem; it needs to be accompanied by effective enforcement, public awareness, and institutional accountability. The following problems continue to hinder the eradication of honor-based violence.

Underreporting of cases:

One of the main challenges in combating honor killings is the widespread underreporting of cases. Many incidents remain hidden because of societal pressure, or perpetrators are often close with family members, and survivors’ relatives may deliberately conceal the crime to preserve family reputation. In many cases, deaths are falsely reported as suicides, accidental deaths, or disappearances. Victims are therefore denied justice while official statistics underestimate the true scale of the problem.¹⁷

International organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), have stated that roughly 5000 “honor” killings occur globally each year, and it is substantially lower than the actual number because many cases are never reported or properly investigated.¹⁸

Weak implementation of laws:

Although many countries have criminalized honor killings, enforcement remains weak. Police often fail to register complaints promptly, investigations are delayed, forensic evidence is inadequately collected, and prosecutors often lack specialized training to handle gender-based violence cases.

Consequently, perpetrators frequently avoid conviction despite the existence of strong legal provisions.¹⁹

Witness Intimidation and Fear of Retaliation: 

Successful prosecution of honor killings is often hindered by witness intimidation and fear of retaliation.Since, in honour Killings perpetrators are usually family members or influential individuals of the community, that’s why witnesses  usually refuse to cooperate with the investigators due to fear of violence, social exclusion, or economic dependence. Victims who survive attempted honour killings may also hesitate to testify because of inadequate protection and fear of further abuse. The absence of effective witness protection programs significantly weakens criminal prosecutions, and it contributes to low conviction rates.²⁰

Limited Access to Justice:

It is difficult for women and girls in rural and marginalized areas to access justice because they often face obstacles in accessing the formal justice system. Financial problems, illiteracy, geographical isolation, lack of legal assistance, and distrust of law enforcement institutions prevent many victims from seeking protection. Informal dispute-resolution mechanisms,  and tribal councils, or customary forums often encourage people to compromise instead of criminal prosecutions, that result in perpetuating impunity.²¹

Conclusion:

Honor killings are a global human rights concern; however, countries have adopted different legal and institutional reforms to address them.International human rights law obliges states to protect women from gender-based violence. Honor killings are not confined to a single legal system, culture, or geographical region. They occur across South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and among diaspora communities in Europe and North America. Underlying social factors are the patriarchal system, gender inequality, and the control of women’s autonomy. States have responded to different legal and institutional approaches, but criminal prosecution alone does not guarantee effective protection; rather, success depends upon consistent enforcement, political commitment, judicial independence, broader social transformation, and public education. Elimination of honor killing is, therefore, not only a legal necessity but also a moral and human rights imperative.

Reference(S):

Ravish Kumar, The Free Voice: On Democracy, Culture and the Nation (Speaking Tiger Books 2018)

United Nations Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences UN Doc A/HRC/20/16 (23 May 2012) paras 44–45.

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, General Recommendation No 35 on Gender-based Violence against Women (2017) UN Doc CEDAW/C/GC/35.

Amnesty International, urgent action 10 year old rape survivor faces honor killing UA: 253/14 Index: ASA 11/013/2014 Issue Date: 9 October 2014

Ibid

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, General Recommendation No 35 on Gender-based Violence against Women (2017) UN Doc CEDAW/C/GC/35.

BBC Viewpoint: Qandeel Baloch was killed for making lives ‘difficult’ 30 September 2019

Ibid

United Nations Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences UN Doc A/HRC/20/16 (23 May 2012) paras 44–45.

United Nations Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences UN Doc A/HRC/20/16 (23 May 2012) para 19

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Injustice and Impunity: Mediation of Criminal Offences of Violence against Women (2018). The report concludes that mediation should never replace prosecution in murder and so-called honour killing cases because it perpetuates impunity.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UNGA Res 217 A (III) (10 December 1948) arts 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (adopted 18 December 1979, entered into force 3 September 1981) 1249 UNTS 13 arts 2 and 5; Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, General Recommendation No 35 on Gender-based Violence against Women (2017) UN Doc CEDAW/C/GC/35.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (adopted 16 December 1966, entered into force 23 March 1976) 999 UNTS 171 arts 2, 3, 6, 7 and 26; Human Rights Committee, General Comment No 36: Article 6 – Right to Life (2019) UN Doc CCPR/C/GC/36.

Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, UNGA Res 48/104 (20 December 1993) arts 1, 2 and 4.

United Nations General Assembly, Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development UNGA Res 70/1 (25 September 2015) Goal 5, Targets 5.1–5.3

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, State of Human Rights in 2024 (HRCP 2025).

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Honour Killings https://www.unfpa.org/honour-killings accessed 6 August 2026.

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, General Recommendation No 35 on Gender-based Violence against Women (2017) UN Doc CEDAW/C/GC/35.

Amnesty International, Pakistan: Honour Killings of Women and Girls (ASA 33/018/1999, 22 September 1999).

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Injustice and Impunity: Mediation of Criminal Offences of Violence against Women (2018).