Violence and Women's Human Rights Violations: The Case of Honor Killings, Wartime Sexual Violence Against Women and Sex Trafficking in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
| Author | Ayubi, Shaheen |
Introduction
Women's rights and human rights are indivisible and inseparable. In 1945 the UN Charter granted men and women equal economic, social, cultural and political rights. Similarly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948 called for applying human right equally, "without distinction of any kind such as race, color, sex, language ... or any other status." (1) Based on the latter criteria, Women's Human Rights incorporate a broad range of issues some of which deal with personal safety, bodily security and authority; equal access to education, healthcare, employment and equal wages, liberty to own property and vote; and the right to be elected to political office and positions of authority. Although human rights have been understood to apply to all humans globally, the record for achieving women's human rights has been disappointing. Indeed, there is broad agreement within the international community that achieving global gender equality remains a challenge for women from developing countries. There are several factors that prevent women from reaching equality with men in nonwestern nation states. First, many women from developing countries have been relegated to a subordinate status in the private sphere. Thus, for the most part they have been excluded from recognized international definitions and interpretations of human rights. Since most of the violence has been committed by non-state actors such as employers, partners, husbands, families and community members, the government considers most of the violence against women to be in the private realm--and therefore allows the violence to continue. Unfortunately, this sends a wrong message--that violence against women is condoned. (2) This is particularly true in certain regions of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East where there is a weak rule of law as many governments are authoritarian and non-democratic or where the nation states are in the process of transitioning to democracy. Second, in war torn regions of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, most casualties of war are women and children. The majority of the world's refugees and displaced persons are women and children in addition to most of the worlds' poor that also happen to be women and children. (3) Thus for the most part the experiences of the women and girls with human rights have been dismal. Third, Women's human rights violations are also justified in some societies that place an emphasis on cultural values and traditions. Traditions sometimes put women at a disadvantage as many cultural values have their origins in past unequal power relations between men and women. Therefore, this inequality systematically denies women of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. (4) Finally, violence against women also occurs because of a global culture that discriminates against women and denies them equal rights. For example, women earn less than men, own less property; have less access to education, healthcare, employment and housing. (5)
This study focuses on violence against women's human rights such as Honor Killings which involves the killing of a female family member or social group by either of the latter members who believe that the victim has brought shame to the family or community; Wartime sexual violence against women which constitutes rape or other forms of sexual violence frequently committed against women by combatants during war to humiliate the enemy; Sex Trafficking which is the trade in women and children for the purpose of sexual slavery or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker; and In the following paragraphs we will examine the causes of the three types of violence against women mentioned above.
Honor Killings: Causes
Human killings usually involve the killing of a female family member or social group by either members who believe that the victim has brought shame to the family or community.
According to Human Rights Watch, Honor Killings are defined as acts of vengeance, usually death, committed against female members, who are held to have brought dishonor upon the family. (6)
However, sometime men can also be victims of honor killings by members of the family of a woman who consider him guilty of having had an inappropriate relationship with a female from their family. (7) Furthermore, men are also victims if they are found to have engaged in a homosexual relationship. Thus, an "honor killing" may apply to the killing of both men and women in societies that engage in the practice. (8)
Nonetheless, in most instances honor killings are directed towards women. It is a practice where male members kill a female relative who in their eyes has damaged family honor. Her death restores the honor of the family. (9) It is a murder that is intentional and malicious and is judged by family and society as a legitimate killing of a girl or woman when she is suspected of breaking the family honor code. Primarily, the public display of the murder of the person who brought dishonor to the family is supposed to restore family respect. (10)
The methods utilized for honor killings include forced suicide, stoning, stabbing, beating, burning, beheading, hanging, throat slashing, lethal acid attacks, shooting and strangulation. (11)
Historically speaking records of stoning as a method of execution may be found across cultures and religions. The origins of honor killings can be traced back to ancient Roman law that justified Honor Killings of women who committed adultery. Ancient Greeks also executed adulterers and prostitutes by stoning. Stoning is also mentioned in the Torah and Talmed and in the Old Testament of the Bible. While the Quran does not mention stoning, it is authorized in the Hadith for both men and women. (12) In China during the Ching dynasty, fathers and husbands also had the right to kill females who had dishonored them. (13)
Geographically most honor killings occur in the countries of the Middle East and South Asia and among immigrant families from these countries residing in Europe, the United States and Canada. In Latin America, crimes of passion have been compared to honor killings. In such situations the murder of a woman by a husband, boyfriend or family member is often sanctioned or condoned.
There are several reasons why honor killings have occurred against women. First, in instances where girls refused to accept arranged marriages. Often families demanded to decide the future of their daughters through the age old tradition of arranged marriage, and the daughters challenged the decision by refusing to follow their dictates. Consequently family members felt humiliated and insulted. Second, young women began dating young men and wanted to choose their own partners. Such behavior was considered to be general moral misbehavior and in some instances these women were suspected for having indulged in premarital sex. In such instances, the women were forced to break the relationships and agree to forced marriages. In the case of a premarital relationship there was no recourse left for women but to face death by stoning. Third, women who were victims of a sexual assault hardly received any sympathy for the terrible ordeal she experienced. Instead, the family and society blamed the assaulted victim for not taking adequate steps to protect herself. The situation became worse if she got pregnant as many single mothers were afraid to keep the infant and abandoned the child born out of wedlock at a public place. Sometimes, the innocent infant was stoned to death for being born out of wedlock. Fourth, many women have faced honor killings simply because they wanted to leave their abusing and violent husbands. Fifth, an honor killing may also be due to the spread of global social media. Some women in the conservative societies of the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia have faced death after being caught chatting with a stranger on Facebook. In these conservative communities women are not allowed to talk, meet or date men. Their lives and relationships are totally controlled by their families. Any move towards showing independence is perceived as a threat to family honor. Women are pressured and intimidated to be obedient, and to surrender their will. (14)
A final reason is patriarchy. Strong patriarchal views of women and their submissive role in society is often a cause of honor killings. Basically in traditional societies women are dependent on their fathers before marriage and thereafter on their husbands they strictly ordered to obey. In such community oriented societies, the concept or notion of individualism does not exist, women are considered property of males in their family regardless of their class, ethnic or religious group. Thus, the male owner of the property can decide the fate of the woman under his domain.
Furthermore, anthropological studies of Arab societies show that men of the family, clan or tribe seek control of reproductive power in a patrilineal society. Women are viewed as a factory for making men. The honor killing does not involve controlling sexual power or behavior. Rather, it is the issue of fertility or reproductive power. (15)
Wartime Sexual Violence Against Women: Causes
Wartime Sexual Violence is rape or other forms of sexual violence is a crime often perpetrated by combatants during armed conflict or war; throughout the duration of military occupation as spoils of war; and during times of ethnic conflict.
Wartime rape is a serious present-day atrocity that affects millions of women and children. (16) Sexual violence may also include gang rapes of women and girls by soldiers and rebel groups in addition to rape with objects such as firewood, weapons and umbrellas. (17) These women and girls are also forced to serve as sexual slaves and soldiers "wives" in addition to being involved in combat and fighting. (18) Often, sexual rapes have also been committed by...
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