ABSTRACT
Honor killings can occur if a woman has a sexual relationship with another man, but the killing would be committed by a direct family member because the cultural belief lies in honor only being restored when the woman who dishonored the family is killed. Honor killing can be viewed as a behavior that occurs within the context of a specific ethnic or cultural community. The terms "educate," "knowledge," and "power" were frequently used within the interviews on the topic of how to end honor killings. A common theme amongst the participants was the significant influence of religion, culture, and/or tradition on their perspectives of honor killings. Participants struggled with differentiating culture, religion, and tradition when asked about the different influences in their lives affecting their views on honor killings. The murderers are commonly men with whom sexual interaction is prohibited socially and religiously.
