E/CN.4/2002/73/Add.2 page 40 850 women were murdered between 1998 and 1999 in Punjab by a member of their family, according to the national Human Rights Commission (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2000/17, para. 75). 157. Crimes of honour are also part of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. According to the Special Rapporteur, honour crimes, rightly classed as extrajudicial executions, take many forms. It seems that, in some instances, women are driven to commit suicide following public denunciations and threats to their lives owing to their allegedly immoral behaviour. Others are disfigured by acid. In most cases, the victims are apparently killed by, or at the behest of, their own families and the perpetrators are rarely arrested or receive only token punishments.218 158. The practice of honour killings has to be combated since it constitutes both a flagrant violation of a fundamental right219 and an infringement of one of the basic principles of justice.220 Crimes of honour are also contrary to religious precepts. Precisely with a view to preventing abuses and accusations founded on suspicion or rumour, Islam lays down specific and stringent conditions for establishing proof of illicit extramarital relations.221 Existence of the relationship has to be substantiated by the testimony of four eyewitnesses to the sexual act.222 Yet, in honour killings in many countries, the crimes are committed against unmarried women and are often based on suspicion or rumour.223 In such an environment where, even in the context of honour crimes, rights are disregarded, abuses are frequent and incongruous situations even arise from police action aimed at protecting women at risk of falling victim to such crimes.224 It would seem that, in some countries where honour killings are perpetrated, the crimes often hide motives—jealousy, inheritance issues or refusal of a marriage arranged by the family—which have nothing to do with the stated reasons for the act.225 Women have reportedly been killed by their husbands after asking for a divorce or following rape. Unable to escape violence or forced marriage, many women resort to suicide.226 In Pakistan, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) point out that traditional killings of women serve to conceal misdeeds unconnected with the victim’s supposed adultery.227 It is thus evident that honour killings tend to increase as the view of what constitutes honour and what is a violation of that honour broadens. That is dangerous and affects the ordinary functions which the State has a duty to perform for its citizens. In Bangladesh, because of the influence of religious extremism, women are reportedly one of the main targets of fatwas declared against them, which threaten their security and lives or drive them to suicide (A/55/280/Add.2, paras. 50, 83 and 97). E. Violation of dignity 159. There are many such practices, which affect virtually all continents. In some cases their religious origin is quite apparent; in others it is difficult to link them, at least directly, with a religion but, as already stated, it is often difficult to separate a people’s culture, ancient cultural traditions, rituals and myths from its religious beliefs. In other words, one cannot readily say with scientific accuracy to what extent religion has been interpreted by individuals to create, over the generations, cultural traditions which are separate or which, conversely, embody religious precepts. Those practices are so numerous and varied that they cannot be listed exhaustively. What they have in common is that they violate the dignity of women and in some instances their integrity. That applies to virginity testing, foot binding and forced portering. Other cases involve slavery-like practices or sexual denigration of women.