Father kills daughter (16) because of Tikkok: tragedy in Pakistan!

Father kills daughter (16) because of Tikkok: tragedy in Pakistan!

In a tragic incident in Pakistan, a father killed his 16-year-old daughter after refusing to extinguish her TikTok account. The murder occurred in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, on Tuesday, July 8th. The police spokesman confirmed that the request to delete the account was the trigger for the fatal act. After the incident, the perpetrator was arrested, while relatives of the victim initially tried to present the murder as a suicide. However, the investigators classify the crime as a "honorary murder", a term that is often used in Pakistan to describe murders within the family that serve to restore family honor.

This incident is part of a worrying tendency in Pakistan, where social media are increasingly perceived as a trigger for violence against women. According to the information from Kosmo, platforms such as Tiktok are very popular among young people. They offer women opportunities for public visibility and their own income. However, this often leads to conflicts in conservative families who perceive such freedom as a threat to their values. For example, a 17-year-old influencer was killed last month after she rejected a man's attempts at approach.

violence against women

Human Rights Watch reports that around 1000 women in Pakistan fall victim to honor murders every year. These statistics illustrate how deeply rooted patriarchal norms and structures in society contribute to violence and discrimination against women. The pressure on women to stay back on social media or even stay away is enormous. Numerous women report stalking experiences and threats that they suffer from their online presence. A study by the Digital Rights Foundation from 2023 showed that in Pakistan almost 1.5 times as many women and men submitted complaints about online nuisance.

activists like Maham Tariq emphasize that women who present themselves online are often stamped as immoral. However, the response to such incidents remains inadequate. Women like Bisma Shakeel and Yusra Amjad report on the challenges and dangers that they are exposed to in the online world. They are often forced to obtain the permission of their family before they publish videos with their face and are aware of the risks that their visibility brings.

social challenges

The widespread violence against women in Pakistan is also rehearved by inadequate government measures and social media measures to combat harassment and violence. Platforms like Tikkok offer a space for women to raise their voices, but the support is often not enough to protect them from the dangers of social pressure and violence.

The tragic murder of the 16-year-old daughter once again throws a light on the dangers that are exposed to women in society and especially on the Internet. Activists and human rights organizations urgently require measures to combat violence and to ensure women's rights in order to create a safer and fairer society. Those affected are not only victims, but also often the voices of the change that fight against the glorification of violence and discrimination against women in society.

Overall, this incident shows how important it is to question the social structures in Pakistan and strengthen the rights of women to prevent future tragedies. In order to achieve real change, both the government and society have to work together on a solution and overcome patriarchal structures.

For more information about violence against women and social media in Pakistan, you can see the analysis of DW.