On July 16, 2016, Qandeel Baloch, a 26-year-old social media star, was murdered by her brother Waseem Azeem through asphyxiation. Qandeel’s uncle and her own brother Mohammad Aslam Shaheen had encouraged Waseem Azeem to commit the tragic murder. Waseem told the media that Qandeel brought shame to the family, which is the reason he murdered her. This particular type of murder is known as an honor killing. Waseem Azeem listed a photograph that Qandeel had taken with a religious cleric as a reason for murdering her. Qandeel is known for appearing provocative, and thus the image of her triggered a harsh reaction from the media; to her brother this seemed reason enough to kill her.
Who was Qandeel Baloch?
Qandeel Baloch was a 26-year-old Pakistani social media personality who also had an acting and modeling career. She was known for being a feminist and sparked a lot of controversy for being very open about her sexuality and dressing in ways that were deemed “provocative.” Qandeel Baloch is seen as an inspiration for many women because she broke several gender related barriers. She had an arranged marriage at a very young age and then got a divorce, which is outside of the social norm--she took control of her relationship. She was also very modest and humble because she would refuse to claim false talents, knew how to face ridicule, and took criticism very well. Qandeel also was a great leader in social justice because she used social media as a tool to show individuals what gender equality looks like. This social media star went through several obstacles in life and serves as an inspiration for women today.
In order to prevent honor killings there are several steps that must be taken.
1. End the culture of victim blaming
Greater than 90 percent of rape victims happen to be females. Due to social norms, women seem to be of the weaker gender, and with such circumstances, women's bodies are constantly open to criticism. The physical appearance of women is always open to public scrutiny and due to this women are constantly blamed for being victims of rape, when the real cause of several rape cases is male violence. When we hear about the murder of women on the news we are astonished; however, it is important to realize that rape is a life-long traumatic experience as well. In order to end honor killings, we must stop justifying acts of rape and murder through our victim blaming techniques.
2. Educate men on the importance of respecting women and controlling anger
There is this constant stereotype that seems to be weighing into the brains of many individuals: The idea that women are maniacal and hysterical. The anger of the female sex is seen as a huge problem, but less people are willing to express that male related anger is an even bigger issue. This is because males are the main perpetrators of mass violence. If we start with protecting the rights of women in society and encouraging men to respect women and their choices, it will be a lot easier to end honor killings which disproportionately target women. Men should be educated from the home and in school on how to treat and respect women without necessarily creating barriers and inequalities between these two genders. Oftentimes, women are told to be subservient to men, especially in the household, and this can change if men are taught from a young age how to treat women.
3. Do not be afraid to challenge cultural or religious traditions
In Pakistani culture and in Islamic regions people have accepted the widely held belief that modesty simply means to "cover up" appearance-wise. Modesty is also about being humble and guarding oneself from inflicting harm on others or casting attention to oneself. Modesty is not just something that applies to females. Males also have to be modest. Not only from a religious standpoint are males expected to shield their body parts, but they are also told to lower their gazes.There are also several stories from Islamic text that imply that women who have jobs as sex workers or are openly "provocative" are not to blame. The men are constantly told to lower their gazes and not take ill advantage of the strength they have. It is said that men should be the protectors of women and not the predators. Women, like men, have the right to live long and prosperous lives and murder is a severe crime, but if we fail to address this problem and challenge traditions, we will never have equality.
4. Hold boys to the same standards as girls
"Boys will be boys." This quote is repeated constantly, and with it we keep reinforcing the idea that bad behavior in boys is tolerable, whereas if girls were to act the same way as boys, it would be deemed intolerable. If girls must come home early at night, so should boys. If girls should dress appropriately, so should boys. If a girl should be disciplined, so should boys. If boys have a say in who they choose to marry, so should girls. If boys can get a proper education, so should girls. If men can be outspoken socialites, so can women. If men can have sexual and financial freedom, so should women. If male rape cases are taken seriously, so should female rape cases. If male lives are valuable, so are female lives. Females are not just shells to be protected while males are to be set free; females deserve the same rights as males in every form. Females deserve the right to live and the right to breath.
Now that a celebrity has died, Pakistan has decided to write a bill that bans honor killings. By not punishing the family of victims due to the fear of trauma that will be inflicted upon families who have killed individuals due to honor, it is time to start treating honor killings as murders. Many women have been subject to abuse, and it is time for the abuse to stop.
For more information on honor killings, visit this site.
