'Honour Killings' in Pakistan and Compliance of ... - Aurat Foundation

4. ‘Honour Killings’ and its Relationship
with Law
The presence of murders termed as honour killings exist not just in
Pakistan but in various countries around the world. A number of
provisions relating to honour killings exist in different legislations around
the world. A number of these provisions seem to be soft on the issue of
honour killings. It is pertinent to note that countries such as Brazil and
Colombia in the last 2 decades have amended laws relating to partial or
complete defence of so called honour killings in their legislation 28 .
However, there still exist negative provisions in different laws around the
world. It is also important to note that the majority of these also use
‘provocation’ as the main reasoning behind leniency.
Countries, such as Morocco, have systematically failed to address the
issue of honour killings. It, in fact, allows for leniency for the crime
within its law. The only amendment it made was in 2007 where it
extended this leniency to women along with men.
In countries like Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, the legislation
allows for lesser punishment where there is considered to be adequate
‘provocation’ by violating cultural norms.
Article 232 of the Penal Code of Yemen states “if a man kills his wife or
her alleged lover in the act of committing adultery or attacking them
causing disability, he may be fined or sentenced to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding one year.”
28 the report of the Special Rapporteur submitted to the 58th session of the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights (2002) concerning cultural practices in the family
that reflect violence against women (E/CN.4/2002/83)
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