Women have the right to live their own lives as they wish. Women are not property, nor are they incompetent. Women have the same opportunities to flourish in society as any man, but certain customs and traditions in certain cultures prevent them from reaching such heights. Culturally traditional men want total domination over their women. But who can blame them, it's the way they were raised and these things are ingrained in them from a young age. When we think of the virtues of a culture, we automatically think of the behavior of women in their family context. A woman is gold in any society and yet she is treated like property. It is safe to say that a person's honor depends on a woman. “The United Nations estimates that up to 5,000 women and girls worldwide were killed last year by family members” (Fall 2001). “Honor” killings are acts of violence typically perpetrated against women that violate broader cultural norms against sexuality and marriage. When a woman violates sexual or marital norms within a culture, her actions bring shame and dishonor and to eliminate dishonor within the family, murder is the only way. “Honor killings aim to maintain women’s sexual exclusivity” (Barker et al, 1999). In most cases, honor killings are present in the cultures of the Islamic regions of South Asia and the Middle East. Unfortunately, this culture is also prevalent in certain parts of Indian society. “Offences leading to honor killings include leaving home without permission, rumors about loss of virginity before marriage, accusations of flirting and illegitimate sexual contact. These charges also do not require the consent of the woman involved. Rape victims, for example,...... middle of paper... honor can be brought within the family. “Women who take cases to court often lose due to an inherently male-dominated justice system. Victims of domestic violence are often told that they will dishonor their families by reporting such crimes and are discouraged from contacting the police” (Lasson, 2009). If this happens in Western countries, the author is trying to invoke a cultural defense. The cultural defense is a defense against prosecution for a criminal act that the accused believes resulted from his or her cultural background. This defense can be used in cases involving female genital mutilation, domestic violence, acid throwing and honor killings. “The idea of ​​cultural defense violates the principles of equal protection and the fundamental principle that society has the right to govern protection from crime” (Morgan, Parker, 2009).