Qatar: Women CONDONE Domestic Violence
A new study in Qatar shows that 42% of women support the use of violence against them, prompting calls for an education campaign in the Gulf emirate with the popular tribal saying that "A sister is one hair in her brother's beard."
The study conducted by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Qatar revealed that 41.97% of Qatari women believe they deserve the physical abuse at the hands of their male relatives.
Beating and physical assault is the most prevalent form of domestic violence (65%), followed by insults and name calling.
The study also registered other forms of abuse, such as deprivation of basic rights, rape, forced pregnancy, divorce threats, and suppression of freedom of expression.
Ghanem said the results demonstrate the urgent need to raise awareness among women and educate them about their rights. She also called for efforts to build women's self-confidence and change prevailing attitudes about a woman's place in society.
It found that 44.6 percent of the victims have been subjected to violence since childhood and 33.6 percent since adolescence. Most abuse was at the hand's of the brother, followed by the father.
Some 47% of the surveyed women said they suffered various types of disorders in the aftermath of the abuse, including depression.
"The most shocking result of the study is that violence takes place within the domestic sphere and in the majority of the cases remains unpunished," Ghanem said.
The study, the first of its kind in the Qatari society, coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women celebrated on November 25 each year since 1981.
Qatar has not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, in effect since 1979, under the pretext that some gender-related clauses are not in line with Islamic principles.
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The study conducted by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Qatar revealed that 41.97% of Qatari women believe they deserve the physical abuse at the hands of their male relatives.
"Many of these girls have suffered rape and sexual harassment, but violence also includes beating and psychological abuse," said Kulthum Al Ghanem, Professor of Social Sciences at Qatar University and author of the study.The study revealed that husbands rank first in the list of abusers, followed by brothers and fathers.
Beating and physical assault is the most prevalent form of domestic violence (65%), followed by insults and name calling.
The study also registered other forms of abuse, such as deprivation of basic rights, rape, forced pregnancy, divorce threats, and suppression of freedom of expression.
Ghanem said the results demonstrate the urgent need to raise awareness among women and educate them about their rights. She also called for efforts to build women's self-confidence and change prevailing attitudes about a woman's place in society.
"Violence against women is often blamed on mothers who teach their sons that women should be beaten and made to submit," Lina Al Dafa, a Qatari social researcher who is planning to run for parliament, said.Entitled "Violence against Women in the Qatari Society," the study stirred heated debate in the Council headed by the wife of Qatar's Emir, Sheikha Mozah Al-Missned.
It found that 44.6 percent of the victims have been subjected to violence since childhood and 33.6 percent since adolescence. Most abuse was at the hand's of the brother, followed by the father.
Some 47% of the surveyed women said they suffered various types of disorders in the aftermath of the abuse, including depression.
"The most shocking result of the study is that violence takes place within the domestic sphere and in the majority of the cases remains unpunished," Ghanem said.
The study, the first of its kind in the Qatari society, coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women celebrated on November 25 each year since 1981.
Qatar has not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, in effect since 1979, under the pretext that some gender-related clauses are not in line with Islamic principles.
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