EMPOWERING QATARI WOMEN TO TACKLE FAMILY VIOLENCE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 001214

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM KWMN QA
SUBJECT: EMPOWERING QATARI WOMEN TO TACKLE FAMILY VIOLENCE



1. The Qatar Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA)
organized November 25-26 a workshop on combating violence
against women, a subject once considered taboo in Qatar.
Even today, the Qatari Criminal Code does not define
punishments or penalize offenders in this regard. Likewise,
Qatar has not ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women under the
pretext that some gender-related clauses are not in line with
Islamic principles. The November 25 discussions centered on
the findings of the first study of its kind on "violence
against women in Qatari society," followed by remarks and
discussions coming from the floor about the study and its
findings.

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Widespread Violence against Women
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2. Consistent with the SCFA,s commitment to establishing a
legal system responsive to familial relationships and needs,
the SCFA marked the International Day for Eliminating
Violence against Women (November 25),by organizing the
seminar at which Dr. Kulthum Al-Ghanim, a Qatar University
Professor of Social Sciences, presented the findings of her
first study of its kind on violence against women in Qatar.
She surveyed 2,787 female students at Qatar University, 84.9
percent of whom were Qataris between the ages of 17 and 25.
Of those surveyed, 24 percent had been exposed to violence
from male family members; beatings and physical assaults were
the most prevalent form of domestic violence. 64 percent of
respondents reporting being subjected to violence said they
had been beaten. The study also registered other forms of
abuse, such as the suppression of freedom, humiliation,
divorce threats, forced pregnancy, rape, and sexual
harassment. According to the study, husbands were the primary
abusers, followed by brothers and then fathers.

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Culture of Silence
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3. Al-Ghanim noted that 62.69 percent of these women reported
not seeking assistance of any kind outside of the home,
particularly from official agencies. According to the study,
there was a lack of awareness and trust in these agencies'
ability to protect victims. Since police in Qatar are
reluctant to treat family violence against women as a
criminal matter, the prevailing perception of police,
explained Al-Ghanim, is that such violence is a "normal
family issue" that should be addressed through mediation, if
at all. The absence of criminal laws in this regard further
deters women from coming forward to report violence to which
they are subjected at home, she observed. Al-Ghanim
indicated that social and family pressures further prevent
victims from reporting incidents to anyone outside the home.
According to the study, more than half of the women surveyed
reported having attempted suicide because of the "culture of
silence" surrounding assaults on women by family members.

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Men Should "Discipline" Women
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4. One key finding of the study was that 41.97 percent of the
women surveyed said they deserved the violence committed
against them; 37 percent stated that men should discipline
women and that women generally need "someone" to discipline
them. These outcomes, based on discussion at the conference,
reflected the traditional family order in Qatar, where women
are perceived as weak and fragile persons in need of
protection and custody. Based on her study, Al-Ghanim, in
addressing the workshop, called for a renewed emphasis on
educating women, as it plays a key role in forming and
improving their self-image.

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Social Analysis of the Phenomenon
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5. As part of her study, Al-Ghanim offered a social analysis
of the phenomenon of violence against women in Qatar. Based
on her findings, she said the Qatari family structure has a
direct impact on women's social status withn the family.
She cited prevailing tribal valuesand customs exemplified by
the saying, "A sisteris but one hair in her brother's
beard," as negaively affecting women's status and
contributing t their diminished social rights. Society's
prevailing values have also, l-Ghanim maintained, increased
women's exposure to social violnce, deprived them of control
of thir finances, and subjected them to male dominance n
deciding matters of marriage and divorce. Mals, she said,
also largely determined the quantit and quality of education
for girls, made decisions concerning women's employment, and

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decided other family matters requiring the consent and
approval of husbands.

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The Vital Need to Build a Statistical Database
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6. According to Al-Ghanim, official government data on the
abuse of women is neither accurate nor detailed. The one
exception is a report by the Qatar Foundation for Women's and
Children's Protection (QFWCP). It referenced 55 cases of
violence against women -- 34 against Qatari women and 21
against non-Qatari women -- in 2005. What stands out in
those numbers, Al-Ghanim observed, is the high number of
cases involving Qatari women, especially since foreign women
outnumber Qatari Women approximately four to one. Al-Ghanim
added that statistics from the Ministry of the Interior noted
65 cases of family violence dealt with by the Crime and
Offenses Court and Social Status Office. Of these cases, 32
came before the Offenses Court and five before the Criminal
Court. The cases referred to the latter body include three
pre-meditated murders and two assaults. Finally, Al-Ghanim
reported that 37 claims of family violence were addressed in
the Family Status Courts. Here again, though, the official
government statistics are short on detail.

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Call to Amend Related Legislation
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7. In her remarks to the conference, Al-Ghanim made several
recommendations, among which were:

-- Increasing the role of decision-makers, public opinion
leaders, civil society institutions and academic centers and
institutions of the international community in protecting
women against violence;

-- Promoting a family environment devoid of violence against
women;

-- Laying out a national strategy to combat violence against
women;

-- Amending the criminal code to create statutes on domestic
violence;

-- Establishing a reliable statistical database.


8. In line with the above recommendations, the SCFA
Secretary General told us the goal of organizing this event

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was to prepare society for new legislation tackling domestic
violence and, in particular, violence against women.
Secretary General Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Khalifa added that

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the SCFA hoped to initiate legislation in this regard in the
near future.

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Call for Special Courts to Tackle Family Violence
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9. The participants at a round-table discussion following the
conference complimented Al-Ghanim,s recommendations, which
were the highlight of the event, and went beyond them in
certain regards. For example, they called for establishing
special courts to tackle family violence. Some of the
round-table participants further advocated amendments to the
current criminal code to address family violence as well as
revision of all other current laws related to families.
Others called for a brand-new, all-encompassing law on family
violence. Among the distinguished local and regional figures
participating in the round-table discussion were Ferida
Al-Obeidly, Director-General of the QFWCP; Hassan Al-Sayed,
Dean of the Law Faculty at Qatar University; Fawziya
Al-Obeidly, Qatari Lawyer; Asma Al-Ajmi, Kuwaiti lawyer; and
Supreme Judicial Council Judge Omer. The conference was
moderated by Noor Al-Malki, Director of the Women's
Department at the SCFA.
RATNEY