VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN THE HEJAZ:

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000498 SIPDIS SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN, DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KWMN SA SUBJECT: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN THE HEJAZ: DISCONCERTINGLY COMMON Classified By: Consul General Tatiana C. Gfoeller for reasons 1.4 (b) a nd (d). ¶1. (C) BEGIN SUMMARY AND COMMENT: While the number of reported domestic abuse cases varies depending on the source, Hejazi (inhabitants of the Western Province) experts focused on addressing violence against women agree that the number of cases in the Western Province is rising. The President of the Ministry of Social Affairs Social Protection Committee, Saeed al Ghamdy, said that in the last two years there have been 325 reported cases of violence against women in the "greater Mecca region." However, experts such as Aljawhara al Angari, Vice President of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) in the Mecca region, and Dr. Enaam Raboei, President of the Jeddah-based Charity Society for Family Protection, believe that such statistics reflect just "the tip of the iceberg." While the Mecca government noted last September an increased number of cases, its efforts to address the issue - most recently to establish an information center in Jeddah - have proven empty. ¶2. (C) Despite a lack of follow through on the part of the Mecca government, some organizations - specifically the NSHR and the Human Rights First Society (HRF) - have tried in the past two years to spread awareness among and to improve the support services available to abused women in the Hejaz. Some individuals, such as the General Manager of the Women's Ministry of Social Affairs Division in Mecca, Nora al Sheikh, are using the Media to speak out against domestic violence. Others, including Ministry of Health medical professional Fatmah Ali Faqeeh, are attempting to foster discussion of the topic among young women. Unfortunately, services, most notably the Jeddah Dar al Himaya shelter, remain plagued by issues such as widespread complacency among law enforcement officials. Overall, Hejazi activists focused on this issue remain divided as to whether the situation has in fact improved. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. -------------- THE MEDIA: A MEANS FOR SPREADING AWARENESS -------------- ¶3. (C) Many activist Jeddawis that work to confront violence against women argue that the Media has been a popular means to spread awareness regarding the frequency and nature of such abuse. Aljawhara al Angari of the NSHR argues that the Media's continued focus on domestic abuse cases has helped to illustrate the severity of the violence. She noted the case of Rania al Baz, a close friend of hers and a well-known TV presenter, who in 2004 published photos of her injuries resulting from a near-fatal beating by her husband. She believes, as a result, that women are more comfortable seeking assistance from centers such as the NSHR. ¶4. (C) Some Hejazi government officials have also used the Media to denounce, in particular, the Saudi male role in violence against women. In the past year, the General Manager of the Women's Social Affairs Division in Mecca, Nora al Sheikh, made one of the more brazen remarks by a government official against domestic violence, stating: "A young brother that is used to beating up his sister in front of his parents, who do not stop him, will probably grow up to be a terrorist...." (NOTE: Al Sheikh holds the highest ministerial rank obtainable by women. END NOTE.) However, during a recent discussion with several Jeddawi women, many shared the belief that there is no force behind such remarks. For example, the Mecca government stated last month that it would establish an information center in Jeddah, but to date, local authorities have not taken further action. -------------- DISCUSSION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: PUSHING THE ENVELOPE -------------- ¶5. (C) Regarding facilitation of discussion in the villages and in the classroom, Jeddawi experts disagree on its effectiveness. In a conversation with Ibrahim al Mugaiteeb, President of the HRF, he stated that "Within the past 18 months, efforts to increase awareness have gained ground and activists are pushing things in the legal arena." (NOTE: In discussions he made a point of criticizing the NSHR, stating that it is not an NGO." END NOTE.) He also argued: "Abuse occurs in large part because women do not have their own identity." However, he complained that the SAG had rejected his request to license the HRF; and therefore, he was having difficulty exposing the extent to which violence against women permeates society. ¶6. (C) In contrast, a Ministry of Health official, Fatmah Ali Faqeeh (also Coordinator of the Infection Control Program in Jeddah and writer at Al Watan newspaper focusing on domestic violence),stated that she did not think that women felt comfortable confronting the problem of domestic violence because most believe that a husband has the right to hit his wife. She mentioned that during a visit to an unnamed private school to discuss public health, she tried to raise the issue of physical violence against women. However, the principal intervened and asked her to discontinue her lecture as it would rouse tension between the school and the local government. In addition, in response to a recent request to assist in organizing an informal gathering on violence against women, the moderator of choice, Dr. Raboei, declined, stating: "I'm sorry to tell you that I can't arrange a 25 November table discussion for political reasons, maybe later." -------------- HEJAZI AUTHORITIES COMPLACENT TOWARD COMPLAINTS OF ABUSE -------------- ¶7. (C) A common sentiment among Jeddawis regarding the responsiveness of Hejazi authorities to domestic violence is that it is inconsistent at best and complacent at worst. Aljawhara al Angari of the NHRS believes most law enforcement officials ignore threats and cases of violence against women. She reported that if a woman goes to a police station to file a complaint, the officer either ignores her or sends her back to her family. Likewise, Fatmah Ali Faqeeh stated that if a woman goes to a police station to file a report, the officer will likely turn her away, as a husband's abuse of his wife, she argued, is an accepted part of Saudi culture. ¶8. (C) Although hospitals are now required to report suspicious injuries to authorities; it is unclear how often this occurs. Dr. Raboei, also a surgeon at the King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, stated without hesitation that medical professionals do not want to report such cases out of fear of reprisal from the family. She recalled a case in which the father of an abused patient told one of the hospital psychiatrists that he would kill Dr. Reboei if she did not abandon her claims that his daughter had been abused. Fatmah Ali Faqeeh and a few maternity ward nurses with whom she worked also insisted that intimidation from male family members of abuse victims remained an obstacle to reporting abuse for female medical professionals in particular. -------------- SUPPORT FOR BATTERED WOMEN: IN DIRE NEED OF IMPROVEMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Last October, the Institute of General Management in Mecca published a study stating that there is a large shortage of available social workers and specialists to assist battered women. Many Hejazi activists argued that the shelters do not afford women the proper moral support or psychological treatment necessary for coping. Fatmah Ali Faqeeh admitted that such shelters "were like prisons." Unfortunately, most women, the study claimed, are not aware of their rights. Other entities, such as the quasi-Government NHRS, provide legal services to female victims of domestic violence. The study proposed establishing legal departments inside various shelters to assist women. A majority of Hejazi experts agree on the need for substantial legal assistance as rules on submitting evidence and fear of reprisal remain obstacles to victims' ability to seek redress in the Courts. ¶10. (C) Hejazi activists also agree that support services - in particular shelters - are in need of major improvement. In the Hejaz there exists one shelter specifically for female victims of domestic abuse: Dar al Himaya. According to Saeed al Ghamdy, President of the Ministry of Social Affairs Social Protection Committee, over the past year the shelter received 106 women: 90 returned home and 16 remained. However, in conversations with specialists such as Dr. Raboei, many victims complained that male relatives can "bully" shelter employees into returning women to their families. Another problem, noted NSHR official Aljawhara al Angari, is that the Mecca government considers the shelter a place for short-term stay (i.e. 1-3 days) as familial tensions abate, rather than a means to facilitate preventing further abuse. GFOELLER