Honor-Based Violence: A Contextual Analysis of Pink, Parched, and Lipstick Under My Burkha

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in the form of 17 global objectives, were declared by the United Nations in 2015. With an aim to address interconnected global challenges, these goals are part of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development. SDG Goal 5 calls to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, according to the United Nations, with the target of ending all forms of discrimination, violence, and exploitation of women and girls everywhere. Further, the first target of SDG 16, speaks for the reduction in Honor-Based Violence (HBV), which includes not only murder or killing but even physical, psychological, and sexual violence. The present paper aims to study how HBV is depicted and examined in the films Pink (2016), Parched (2016), and Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016), in the Indian context. There are many concepts, arguments, and ideas layered in the narrative of these films which can lead to some solutions for the reduction of HBV. The paper also scrutinizes all kinds of discrimination, inequalities, and unlawful behaviour women undergo in their daily lives. For the attainment of SDG 2030, all kinds of violence against women must be identified and resolved at the earliest. The films of this study portray the hardships, questions, and conditions of women realistically, living in modern India. The condition is such that it requires the utmost attention and remediation in the Indian subcontinents. Finally, the study leads to a better understanding of the nature of violence and the reasons causing it, ultimately bringing solutions.