Violence Against Women in the Name of Honor: The Case of Jordan

Honor crimes are forms of gendered violence that occur against women under the hand of the family, in which the “family home” become commonplace for violence and murder. It mainly involves a male relative that kills a female member within the family to protect a notion that is called “honor,” or the protection of sharaf because of ird violation that is the responsibility of females only. “Purification of shame,” “restoring dignity,” “preserving family honor,” all are used inside the courtrooms to justify such murder that takes the lives of almost twenty women annually in Jordan. This particular form of gender-based violence against women is the product of patriarchal interpretation of existing laws within the Jordanian Penal Code that is supported by Jordanian culture that encourages and entitles any male the right to kill his female relative in front of their family in a defense of sharaf and receive a reduced punishment. Articles 340, 98, and 99 of the Jordanian Penal Code altogether reflect the failure of the legal system in Jordan in protecting women from honor crimes. Even when the law recently witnessed minor changes, the male-based right to protect family honor through the use of lethal violence against women survived scrutiny. The purpose of this study is to highlight the legal injustice that is directed against women in Jordan. It will highlight the influence of legal pluralism and patriarchy to argue that this form of defense in its contemporary setting that is used solely to murder women is highly supported by tribal customs and religion making it an integral part of the modern legal system in Jordan.