This week, no one can escape the sad, sad news about the four women found murdered in a car in the Rideau Canal in Kingston. It was shocking a month ago, and now, as the parents and family of these women have been arrested, it is devastating.
To imagine the young women, just starting to carve out their way in this world. Cut short. I can't wrap my mind around how their parents could kill them. To our core, we're driven by an instinct to protect our children. It's a terrible testimony to the power of cultural norms, than a parent can be driven by a motive stronger than their bond with their family.
CBC Radio has been buzzing with talk about honour killings - interviewing experts, recalling such crimes of recent years. It is the stuff of nightmares, sending chills down my spin.
If the three family members are found guilty, I hope our system can help them. Help them realize the horror of their acts, help them understand it is unforgivable. Because some things just cannot be forgiven.
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How truly awful. This story reminds me of the very sad story of the 8-year-old Liberian girl who was raped by 3 Liberian boys and then rejected by her family because they believe she has shamed them (Phoenix, AZ. This sort of thing is unbelievable to those of us who consider parental attachment so innate. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared, "they are doing something, something that is no longer acceptable in our society here." What we learn from our culture is a powerful imprint. I'd like to think that as humans with questioning, free-thinking minds, we can assess a situation for the consequences beyond what our culture deams "acceptable."
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