Honour Killing Among Women in India

Abstract

Honor killing is a form of homicide where an individual becomes a victim if s/he engages in any act, unacceptable to the norms of the society. As per the data reported by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), crime rate with respect to honor killing has seen a rise in the last few years. Women are more likely to become victims because they are assumed to bear the weight of protecting the family honor and any deviance from the family's protocol is considered to affect the prestige of the family. Recent research has also found individuals belonging to LGBTQ community to also be a victim of honor killing. Given this backdrop, the current research reviews the literature regarding honor killing with the objective of understanding why women are more prone to be victims of honor killing. Further it aims to trace the role of technology, social and cultural aspects of honor killing. Research will aid in contributing to literature by identifying gaps in policy and human rights interventions to facilitate better implementation and advocacy regarding honor killing and help reduce crime in India.