India is very well known for its diverse culture, integrity, flavours and the numerous faiths followed by its citizens. Other components that add to India’s fame are its vast rates of discrimination.
From caste to gender, ethnicity to class we Indians have indeed left no stone unturned in making our difference known and boundaries set. It is ironic how we are famous for our unity and yet are so divided when it comes to the different prejudices we hold against each other.
I recently came across an article of a woman becoming prey to honour killing. Killed brutally by her own father for the sole reason of her having an inter-faith marriage and it was heartbreaking to see no show of regret and remorse on his face for doing so. His pride and prejudice mattered more to him than the precious life of his own flesh, his own blood, his daughter. But can the pressure of maintaining one's so-called reputation or status in the society oblige them to go to such extremes?
Honour killing in simple terms is the act of killing a relative, or a close one, especially a woman or a girl who has brought “dishonour” to the family name or prestige. Here, in the twenty-first century, where all claim to have gotten over our orthodox and patriarchal mindset, cases like these convey the absolute contrary. According to the reports, an approximate of 5000 honour killings occur internationally each year and 1000 in India alone. This is a matter of shame for all of us that despite it being a punishable crime by law, it still continues to prevail.
In my opinion, one of the major causes of honour killings is the gender inequality of India as 97 percent of victims are women. According to the Right to Equality covered under Articles 14 to 18 of the constitution, “The state cannot deny equal rights before law to any citizen of India. It also prohibits any discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.” Yet, women are frequently harassed, shamed, looked down upon, perceived to be indecisive and in a cliched notion expected to be behind a man’s success rather than working for their own. It is evident that we, as a nation, have a long way to go when it comes to women and their rights.
Stooping so low just to instil a fear among individuals of what their boundaries are meant to be or to maintain one's societal reputation is guesome to even think about. We as humans are functioned to express humanity. If we don’t get over the prejudices we hold against each other and accept people as they are, we are all lost.
https://www.smilefoundationindia.org/blog/constitution-of-india-education-health-and-gender-equality-rights/#:~:text=Indian%20Constitution%20and%20Gender%20Equality&text=The%20Right%20to%20Equality%20is,sex%2C%20or%20place%20of%20birth
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/toi-original/aayushi-chaudhary-honour-killing-delhi-student-killed-by-parents-body-left-in-suitcase-on-yamuna-expressway/video show/95696658.cms
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