Several high-profile murders in Pakistan last year brought international eyes onto an issue that still prevails today: “honor killings,” or the murder of a female family member by one of her relatives because she has “shamed” the family in some way.

UO international studies professor Anita Weiss discussed some forces behind these murders at the panel discussion “No Honor in Honor Killing: Gender Violence, Law, Religion and Power in Pakistan” in Karachi. She brought up the importance of the historical context that led to honor killings becoming normalized.

“For example,” she said, “where a woman goes, if she uses a mobile or not, or if she goes to (an) office, is decided by her husband or men she is associated with — even though (all these actions) are considered a social norm in most parts of the world.”

For the full article see “How the state buries cases of honor-killing” on Geo Television.

Weiss, who is currently on research leave in Pakistan, is interested in studying issues surrounding women’s rights in the Muslim world. She has published eight books and more than 30 articles.