Role of Mass Media in Promoting Honor Killing

Honor killing is a social reality which has existed since ancient times. Such murders are committed by a person who believes that the victim has brought shame to the family by actions which bear social stigma, including improper love affairs, betraying one’s spouse, adultery, running away from home, losing virginity, and so forth. Many factors are involved in occurrence of honor killings, including customs, patriarchal cultures, the society’s penal and other laws, and mass media. With their widespread availability, attraction and variety, mass media have many positive and negative impacts on occurrence of honor killings. The many aspects of this impact need to be taken into account in establishing a sound, consistent and well-thought criminal policy which will prevent occurrence of honor killings by all means. Public media can encourage honor killings by making programs which approve and preserve certain customs. In fact, the role of media in promoting culture of honor killing is so central that if any action is to be taken to prevent such murders it, in the same manner, needs to be supported by media.