Ending honour crimes in sub-Saharan Africa: Looking at a long hard death

Abstract

Throughout the world women and girls are killed, injured or otherwise degraded in the name of family ‘honour’. Honour crimes are also committed in sub-Saharan African countries, where a cycle of violence is often ingrained in the community culture. However, because honour crimes in subSaharan Africa do not normally result in death, as they do in other parts of the world, they are generally overlooked as cultural practices, or family issues rather than crimes that warrant government intervention and punishment. Indeed, a review of publications related to honour crimes rarely mentions sub-Saharan Africa. One must question why so little attention is paid to honour violence in this part of the world and how it differs from honour violence in other regions. Honour crimes stem from the patriarchal notion that a woman’s chastityor virtue is somehow tied to her family’s honour. Historically, men have been considered masters over their wives (and children), free to discipline and demand obedience from them because of the man’s status as head of household. Therefore, if there is the mere hint of impropriety on the part of a female member of the household, the family – and particularly its male head – is dishonoured. The family must then find a way to restore its reputation. Often the answer is violence against the woman, to punish her and prove to the local community that the man is in control of his family. When one looks at the concept of honour crimes in relation to sub-Saharan Africa, this typical paradigm, of crimes committed in reaction to actual or perceived family dishonour caused by the woman’s actions, does not work. Often in sub-Saharan Africa one sees violence as atonement for a family ‘sin’, something the woman herself had no control over and was not a part of. Therefore, one must look at an expanded definition of honour, and look not only at an action that impacts the dignity of the man or the family, but also at the concept of the dignity of the woman in order to understand honour crimes in sub-Saharan Africa. Examining honour crimes in this manner, one must read traditional customary practices as crimes of honour.These practices often result in violence against women. The fact that these practices have until recently been contained within the community – whether for protection of the community, tribe or individual family – has made it difficult to identify some of the practices and their impact on women. However, a crime that attacks the dignity of a woman within a family, simply because of her status as a woman, is an honour crime and as such these practices must be considered crimes of honour. This chapter will look at the background of crimes of honour in sub-Saharan Africa. The author will address some customary practices throughout the region and discuss why these should be considered crimes of honour – or more aptly, honour/dignity crimes.1 The author will also consider the laws that are currently in place to prohibit crimes of honour. The author will explain that ending behaviour that is embedded in tradition is not simple: cultural practices die a long, hard death. As such, it is imperative that governments take the first step to protect women from all culture-related violence. With that in mind, the last part of this chapter will look at the state’s responsibility for protecting its female citizens from crimes of honour. Protection does not merely mean enacting legislation to prohibit these crimes. In this instance, laws alone are not enough. States in which honour violence occurs must take steps to address the underlying issues or root causes of honour crimes through a comprehensive approach involving legal reform, social services and public education.