Honor Killing in Gwalior, India: Father Strangles His Daughter

Unnamed girl
Age: Young
Strangled: August 16, 2024
Residence: Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
Origin: India
Perpetrator: Father

On Friday, August 16, 2024, a fight between a father and daughter in Gwalior, a city in Madhya Pradesh, India, escalated to the point where the man strangled her. After committing the crime, he went to the police station and confessed to the crime. The father, along with other family members, had opposed his daughter's relationship with a young man from another caste.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.