Honor killing
homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community
An "honor killing", also called a shame killing, refers to murder that is committed by members of the victim's family or intimate partner with the motivation of preserving or recovering the "honor" that the victim is perceived as having violated or lost as a result of their actions, which may be a source of shame in their society. Most cases of honor killings happen in the form of femicide, and are likewise a frequent manifestation of violence against women in regions of the world where there are traditional or legal norms that greatly restrict women's rights and freedoms.
Moral standards in a community tend to be based on different codes of behavior for men and women, particularly with regard to women's sexual freedom. In many families, the "family honor" motive is used by men as a pretext to enforce the restriction of women's rights, and honor killings are performed in communities with the intent to punish violations of social, sexual, religious, or general familial norms or hierarchies. Communities in which honor killings occur impose social rejection and social exclusion on dishonored families, with the only way to save face being to kill whoever brought the dishonor upon the family.
While the behaviors and actions that lead to honor killings can vary by the established societal norms of a region, they are most often choices of an intimate nature, such as refusing to enter into an arranged or forced marriage; seeking a divorce or marital separation; or engaging in premarital or extramarital sex. However, several non-intimate personal choices may also result in honor killings as well, such as converting to another religion; associating with others outside of one's caste; or dressing in a way that is regarded as diverging from sexual norm (e.g., a man wearing women's clothing) in the community. Furthermore, it is also common for people to be targeted for honor killings if they become victims of rape or sexual assault; or for having a taboo characteristic such as not identifying as heterosexual or for having a disability.
These killings are condemned by international conventions, including by legally binding documents like the Istanbul Convention, and by human rights organizations worldwide. Even so, they remain widespread and some religious and cultural communities continue to justify and encourage them wherever these communities hold influence.
“Honor killing” enters the record as homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Honor, killing and homicide can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Honor killing” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Honor, killing and homicide provides the most credible route into that argument.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2691275. The Library of Congress control number is sh2003003469. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Honor killing”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Honor killing primary sources, Honor killing archive and Honor research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Honor killing”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Honor killing” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.