A very pertinent issue.
Unfortunately, some people in our midst refuse to even acknowledge it an
issue, but it is a huge problem, at least in Pakistan.
You
are right, somehow the onus of safeguarding the 'honour' of the family
always falls on the women. I suppose somehow its the legacy of the
age-old traditions we have had and the notion that the men know the
society better(no pun intended). So they have got to guard the
womenfolk and punish the few errant and rebellious ones who challenge
this belief.
The
problem here is that whenever a lady wants to have it her way against
the wishes of her family, her family brand here as a stigma to the
family- one who has 'dishonoured' them. Somehow i don't think its
because of lack of education or social awareness. You would see cases of
honour killing right across the social hierarchy. SamiaSarwar was a one
such unlucky 'educated' lady who murdered in cold blood at the orders
of her mother in the offices of her lawyer. This was the response from
the ones in our NA. Condemnable to say the least.
And
the role of religion? I think the issue had more of a 'social genesis'
than a religious one. Religion has just become a pawn in the hands of
the perpetrators.
The
sad thing is that i don't think education will help in this regard,
only proactive involvement by the common man. Check this VictimsOfLaw.
Some incidents where the people did win.
So where do we go form here?