Honour Killing as Human Rights Violations

This study sets out to explore honour killings in the context of human rights, as a violation of international human rights law meriting the accountability of states. The study aims at providing an analysis of honour killings as a violation of human rights law, identifying the human rights provisions that may be invoked in regard to honour killings and analysing the various approaches that can be taken in order to achieve international accountability for honour killings. Furthermore, the study presents an overview of measures that have been taken in regard to honour killings on the international human rights agenda, both on the inter-governmental and non-governmental level. In addition, questions as to how human rights arguments can be used in a discourse with cultural groups are addressed and some recommendation made in relation to future efforts to eradicate the practice of honour killings both as regards to international bodies and mechanisms that can be used to address honour killings and the work that needs to be done at the domestic level including legislation, law enforcement and a dialogue with groups that try to justify honour killings with reference to cultural or religious norms. Throughout the paper, Pakistan is used as a case study.