Honor killings Would you kill to preserve your honor? Some parents would even go as far as killing their children to keep their family name intact. According to the United Nations, around five thousand women are killed in honor killings every year. However, according to women's advocacy groups, approximately twenty thousand women are killed every year. Honor killings are murders committed by members of a person's family against those who are believed to be bringing dishonor to the family. Honor killings can be traced back to the times of the Ancient Roman Empire, where the patriarch of a family possessed the right of life and death for any member of his family. Women pregnant out of wedlock were often killed to prevent ruining her family's reputation. Usually, once a family's reputation has been tarnished, it cannot be undone, so killing the person associated with it is necessary to protect other family members. Honor killings continue to be a big problem in many cultures as teenagers are starting to follow the new customs of the twenty-first century. Honor killings started long ago, before anyone could think. During the Roman Empire, the patriarch had the right to end the life of anyone in his family. Women accused of dishonorable acts such as adultery and premarital sex were often killed by Ullah, 2 to keep the family's reputation intact. Long ago, killing a person suspected of bringing dishonor to the family was considered a heroic act. The dishonor associated with a family was not to be taken lightly then or now. In the United States, several honor killings have been committed to keep a family away from dishonor. In 1989 a young teenager... at the center of the paper... murders and domestic violence. As stated by Phyllis Chesler, “One group has an average age of seventeen; the average age of the other group is thirty-six (Chesler, “Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings”). The age difference between the two groups is quite important and has a significant impact on the statistics. In the older age group, associated crimes typically include child abuse, incest, and spousal stalking. These crimes are not associated with a culture, nor are young women targeted, and the murders are not usually justified by families. According to Chesler, ...these characteristics define the classic honor killing of younger women and girls”Ullah, 4(Chesler, “Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings”). In the youngest age group, women are “…killed by their families of origin 81% of the time” (Chesler, “Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings”).