Question : SURVEY ON HONOUR KILLING

(a) whether the United Nations has included India in its report on violence against women due to honour killings;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government in this regard;

(c) whether the Government has conducted any survey on honour killings in the country;

(d) if so, the details and the outcome thereof;

(e) whether the Government has reconstituted any Committee/Group of Ministers to examine the issue relating to honour killings;

(f) if so, the details thereof and the recommendations made by such Committee/Group;

(g) whether the Government has issued such recommendations to various State Governments for implementation;and

(h) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the State Governments in this regard?

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI AJAY MAKEN)

(a) & (b): Government is aware of the “Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences 2002” as well as the latest report i.e. “15 Years of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women (1994-2009)- A Critical Review. These reports do not mention India in the context of honour killings. However, the Government of India is sensitive to any violence against women and has made sincere efforts to deal with the matter in a holistic manner, which includes enforcement of various legislations related to crime against women as well as tackling the socio-economic dimension of the problem.

(c) & (d): No such survey has been conducted although many instances of alleged honour killings have been reported. As honour killing is not classified as a separate crime and it is treated as murder, information in this regard is also not maintained separately by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

(e) to (h): A Group of Ministers has been constituted to deliberate on the issue and it has held two meetings till date on 12.8.2010 and 25.8.2010. It has not submitted its recommendations.