The lives of millions of women in Pakistan are circumscribed by traditions that enforce extreme seclusion and submission to men. Traditional perceptions of honor severely limit some of the most basic rights of women in Pakistan. Every year in Pakistan hundreds of women, of all ages and in all parts of the country are reported killed in the name of honor.
Many more cases go unreported.
Almost all go unpunished. The number of such killings appears to be steadily increasing as the perception of what constitutes honor widens. The flimsiest of suspicions, such as a rumor spread in a village, or in one extreme case, a man's dream of his wife's adultery, is enough to elicit lethal violence. Women are not even given a chance to clear up possible misunderstandings. Tradition decrees only one method to restore honor - to kill the offending woman.