An 18 year old and 16 year old girl was shot to death in Northern Pakistan.
Officials believe that the family members of the girls are the killers. They explain that the girls were the victims of honor killing, where male family members kill women for ‘defacing’ the family.
In this particular case, it is understood that the girls were killed over a video footage of them together with a young men. Islam extremists believe that all women should keep their minds and bodies completely pure. Many treat women as objects belonging to the father before marriage and to husband after a woman is married.
In what is a shock to outsiders, the killers were close family members of the victims. One was the father of one girl while the second killer was the brother of the other girl. The killing took place in Shaam Plain Garyom.
The video that led to the death of two teenagers were by no means scandalous to outsiders. It was simply a video of a young man and three girls, two of whom are the victims of this honor killing. Officials are checking if the young man and the other girl is still safe.
The video is said to be over a year old. However, it has resurfaced as it suddenly gained traction by social media users within Pakistan. Officials have stated that their top priority as of now is confirming and providing the safety for the two other individuals in the video.
Officials are especially concerned about the safety of the third girl in the video. International organizations such as Amnesty International explained that the victims of these so-called honor crimes are almost always women and girls.
Activists in and around Pakistan estimate that up to 1,000 women are killed every year in the name of honor. The trend seems especially more prevalent in the less-developed rural areas where tradition and religion still have an outsized influence over everyday lives.
Human Rights Watch and various other organizations have classified Pakistan as one of the worst perpetrators of gender inequality. Honor crimes notwithstanding, Pakistani women are exposed to many different crimes from domestic violence to forced marriage, often at young ages.
We stand with the activists who bravely protested that there is no honor in killing. Share your thoughts with us in the comments, and be sure to follow us on Facebook for more news like this one.
Replaced!