MAPPING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN ARABIAN COUNTRIES

Abstract

Violence against women is a scourge affecting all countries. Violence against women in the Arabian region is widely recognized as a critical human rights violation that demands a policymaking intervention to effectively combat it. Aim: we aimed at mapping different types of violence against women in Arabic countries, assessing the knowledge of women regarding the support services that ensure their safety and determining factors standing against combating women violence. Methods: A cross-sectional study was implemented. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data about basic demographic data. Responses were received from Egypt, Sudan, Libya and Lebanon. Data about exposure was collected and analyzed. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 355 respondents from different countries; those who reported exposure to violence involved 149 women and those who didn’t report exposure included 206 women. A statistically significant difference was detected between the four studied countries. Regarding the type of violence, the highest percentage of female participants reported verbal violence. In the current work, only 8.7% reported violence, in addition, more than two third of female participants were unaware about the support service nor the punishing laws for abusers. Conclusion: Women experience violence in Arabian region regardless of their age, level of education, income. Findings from this study suggests that the lack of awareness of women about the avenues of support and the laws that protect them is the deep-rooted factor that has attributed to the persistence of violence against women in the Arabian region.