Honour killings, long a problem in the developing world, have recently come to light as an issue in Canada, with such chilling examples as the Shafia family murders where three daughters and a maternal figure were killed in the Rideau canal.
In order to fight this epidemic of violence being waged against women, girls, and LGBT individuals, we have to first have an understanding of what exactly honour killings are, the place they have in conservative Islamic and eastern culture, and the damage they cause from one generation to the next.
The new documentary Honor Diaries aims to get to the bottom of this issue by presenting both the cold hard facts and personal testimony from women’s rights activists and victims of this cultural blight.
The documentary gathers these strong women to tell their stories — and the stories of those who are no longer alive to tell theirs.
Among the group is Canada’s own Nazanin Afshin-Jam, a truly amazing modern day renaissance woman known not only for her modeling, beauty pageants, and singing career, but also her scholarly writing, work with NGOs, and tireless human rights activism. Afshin-Jam is also married to Canadian politician Peter MacKay.
Watch the trailer above and let us know what you think. Do Canadians have a real understanding of the culture around honour killings? What can we do to help preserve the lives of the girls, women, gay people, and trans people caught within this culture?
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