Honour Killing in Sindh Men's and Women's Divergent Accounts
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Honour Killing in Sindh Men's and Women's Divergent Accounts Shahnaz Begum Laghari PhD University of York Women’s Studies March 2016 Abstract The aim of this project is to investigate the phenomenon of honour-related violence, the most extreme form of which is honour killing. The research was conducted in Sindh (one of the four provinces of Pakistan). The main research question is, ‘Are these killings for honour?’ This study was inspired by a need to investigate whether the practice of honour killing in Sindh is still guided by the norm of honour or whether other elements have come to the fore. It is comprised of the experiences of those involved in honour killings through informal, semi- structured, open-ended, in-depth interviews, conducted under the framework of the qualitative method. The aim of my thesis is to apply a feminist perspective in interpreting the data to explore the tradition of honour killing and to let the versions of the affected people be heard. In my research, the women who are accused as karis, having very little redress, are uncertain about their lives; they speak and reveal the motives behind the allegations and killings in the name of honour. The male killers, whom I met inside and outside the jails, justify their act of killing in the name of honour, culture, tradition and religion. Drawing upon interviews with thirteen women and thirteen men, I explore and interpret the data to reveal their childhood, educational, financial and social conditions and the impacts of these on their lives, thoughts and actions. By viewing the rise in honour killings in Sindh over the last three decades as a suspicious change, I argue that there are some notable features such as the Pakistani law, gender discrimination in every walk of life, the social and economic situation and cultural and religious interpretations of notions about honour killing in the light of the interviewees’ accounts. Although this is a small-scale study, its findings help make recommendations for future research in the field. 2 Table of Contents Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………….....2 Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………………......3 Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………......6 Author’s Declaration ……………………………………………………………………........8 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………9 Chapter One: Honour Killings, the Laws and Women……………………………............21 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………21 The Relationship between Honour and Violence……………………………………...……...22 Honour Killing………………………………………………………………………….……..24 Honour Killing in Pakistan……………………………………………………………………28 The Laws Relating to Honour Killing in Pakistan………………………………………….....32 The Prosecution Process………………………………………………………………………38 Civil Society and Media…………………………………………………………………….....41 Governments’ and Parliamentarians’ Attitudes towards Honour Killing…………………......43 Women’s Status in Pakistan and Sindh in Particular………………………………...………..48 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….....53 Chapter Two: Socio-economic and Political Conditions Underlying Honour Killing in Sindh…………………………………………………………………………………...……...54 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….……...54 A Perspective on Sindh…………………………………………………………………...…...55 The Marriage System in Sindh………………………………………………………………..60 Honour Killing in Sindh……………………………………………………………….………66 The Jirga System…………………………………………………………….………………..72 State-Run Shelter Homes………………………………………………………….…………..75 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...………..77 3 Chapter Three: Researching Honour Killings in Sindh: Methodological Issues………...79 Research Design…………………………………………………………………………….....81 The Interview Themes………………………………………………………………………...83 Ethical Issues………………………………………………………………………………….85 Meeting Interviewees…………………………………………………………………….……87 Conducting Interviews…………………………………………………………...…………..108 Interviews with the Female Participants………………………………………………..……111 Interviews with the Male Participants…………………………………………….……….....113 The Role of Gender Inequality………………………………………………………..……..115 The Role of the Intermediaries……………………………………………………….……...116 Data Processing and Writing up…………………………………………………….……….118 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….……..125 Chapter Four: Violence in Everyday Life…………………………………………….…..127 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..127 Invisible Women……………………………………………………………………………..128 A Childhood of Poverty and Violence……………………………………………………….132 Gender Differences in Upbringing…………………………………………………………...137 a) Games……………………………………………………………………………………..139 b) Education………………………………………………………………………………….141 Mode of Marraiges and Relations with In-Laws…………………………………………….146 a) Exchange Marriage……………………………………………………………………….147 b) Bride-wealth Marriage……………………………………………………………………155 c) Simple Consanguineous Marriage………………………………………………………...158 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………...160 Chapter Five: Men's Stories of Violence………………………………………………….162 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..162 The Men's Concepts of Honour……………………………………………………………...163 Threats to the Men's Honour and the Modes of killings…………………………………..…167 After Killing: Feelings and Justifications…………………………………………………....176 The Honour Killers and Society……………………………………………………………..181 The Role of Waderas in Honour Killing, As Seen by the Men……………………………...185 4 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………...193 Chapter Six: Women's Stories of Accusations……………………………………………195 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..195 Becoming a Kari……………………………………………………………………………..196 Women Speaking against Injustice……………………………………………….………….203 Escape from Death…………………………………………………………………………...208 Life in the Refuge………………………………………………………………………...….213 What Future do these abused Women See……………………………………………….…..218 Women's Perspective on the Role of Waderas……………………………………………....222 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...……228 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….….230 Appendix A………………………………………………………………………………….241 Appendix B………………………………………………………………………………….242 Appendix C………………………………………………………………………………….243 Appendix D………………………………………………………………………………….244 Appendix E………………………………………………………………………………….248 Glossary……………………………………………………………………………………..253 List of References…………………………………………………………………………...258 5 Acknowledgements I have learned from my four years of research that a PhD is not a short or simple journey. It begins with a passionate urge to discover something unique about a particular topic and ends up with an immense desire to gain knowledge through studying, visiting and revisiting a set of issues in order to see things clearly and deeply. When I decided to work on this subject, about which I had only a little knowledge, I felt lonely and was not sure how I would accomplish such a huge task. Now, when I look back over it, I see so many people supporting me and I feel the strength they have given to me. First of all, I sincerely thank my thesis supervisor, Professor Stevi Jackson. There are no proper words to convey my deep gratitude and respect for her; she trusted my ability and offered me the precious opportunity to study at the Centre for Women’s Studies. She has inspired me to become an independent researcher and to gain a wider perspective on my subject, and she has helped me to realize the power of critical reasoning. The credit for my being able to complete the thesis goes to Professor Jackson for her strong support, timely encouragement and endless patience. My sincere thanks must also go to the members of my thesis advisory committee: Dr Ann Kaloski-Naylor and Professor Gabriele Griffin. They generously gave their time to offer me valuable comments towards improving my work. My especial thanks go to Dr Kaloski-Naylor. I have benefited from her truly emotional support when it was required the most. Also, the administrator at CWS, Harriet Badger, is memorable, not only for her prompt support but also for her kind care. I am so grateful to the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust for choosing me as one of its scholarship recipients for 2013. I am heartily grateful to all my research participants for sharing with me their life stories. Without their cooperation, I could not have collected such good data. Their trust in me was one of my motivations for completing this thesis. I also send my regards to all my friends who gave me moral support during my stay in CWS. I cannot forget those who remained with me during hard times. I came to York as a stranger, along with my two young children, 6 but my kind neighbour, Margaret Escritt, looked after us. Despite her poor health, she helped my children and me at many odd times. She was indeed the person who most made me feel that I was not away from my family. My gratitude to Ghazal Kazim and Kazim Lakyaree who have also been generous with their love and encouragement. I am so very grateful to my friend Dr Angham A. Abdullah, who was always available for me during hard times. We shared a number of occasions together, we wept and laughed together, went through hard times together, she cheered me on, and we celebrated our family events together. In addition, I cannot overlook the moral support of Dr Khalid Laghari and his wife Sandra, who were just one call away from me and through thick and thin they showed their absolute support. I would like to send my gratitude to one person, a great Pakistani comedian Umar Sharif, whom I have never met but he saved me from being stressed out. The process of collecting and transcribing the sensitive data made me very emotional to the extent that at one point I intended to seek help of some doctor. At that difficult