A man in Pakistan has been arrested for allegedly killing his teenage daughter after she refused to stop uploading what he deemed “inappropriate” videos on TikTok, authorities confirmed on Thursday.
According to local police chief Babar Baloch, the suspect, believed to be in his 50s had recently moved his family back from the United States to Quetta, a city in southwestern Pakistan.
Baloch revealed that the father confessed to shooting his daughter earlier this week after she refused to dress more modestly and stop posting videos on the social media platform.
“He admitted to the crime, saying he felt his daughter’s actions were dishonouring the family,” Baloch stated.
The police are treating the incident as a case of ‘honour killing’, a practice in which relatives, usually male family members, murder women they believe have brought “shame” upon the family.
Honour killings remain a widespread issue in Pakistan, with an estimated 1,000 women killed each year by fathers, brothers, or sons under the pretext of safeguarding family honour, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
Human rights group, Amnesty International has condemned Pakistan’s controversial legal loopholes, which often allow perpetrators to escape justice.
“Most killers avoid punishment due to an Islamic clause in the law that permits the victim’s relatives to pardon the perpetrator,” Amnesty International stated.
In 2016, Pakistan amended its laws to limit the ability of families to pardon honour killers. However, activists argue that the reforms have not been effective in curbing the practice.
