Let’s get to the root of the problem
The topics of women’s rights, protection against domestic violence, abuse and sexual harassment are no longer strangers to the Saudi media. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, both international and local studies reflect a very appalling image about Saudi society in that regard.
In the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index, Saudi Arabia ranked 131 out of 135 in (2012), and according to a survey by the Saudi National Family Safety Program, husbands commit 65 percent of domestic violence cases, and 88.5 percent of those surveyed believe that victims need some sort of protection by the government.
Therefore, making it to the headlines, inciting public discussions, and driving regulators and NGOs to work hand in hand to introduce new laws, response and protection programs — if a little late — are all positive steps toward preserving the rights of those stripped from them for no justifiable reasons. Actually, if there are excuses for non-prevention and prosecution, then they are based on dreadful social customs flavored by the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of religious doctrines.
Some people could argue that laws and rules are not the answers in themselves. However, strict laws against abusers are not supposed to solve problems — they are supposed to prevent them from happening or curb them. After all, laws are nothing but a reflection of the society that makes them.
Stronger proactive measures are needed; the real solution to this form of behavior is, better education and instilling the need for civilized behavior at home, at school, and drilling it in the hearts and minds of men, women, and children of all ages. It is sad to admit that the Saudi society is saturated with customs toward women that are questionable at best.
Domestic abuse and sexual harassment are actually the symptoms of the problem, not its root. For example, parents would say: “We have raised our daughter to submit to her husband.” “It is OK for your younger brother to discipline you, he is the man of the house now...” and “you have to put up with your husband honey, he did not mean to hit you, I am sure he was stressed out from work.”
It is quite likely that you have heard such statements somewhere before, and maybe you know someone who truly believes in them. Now ask yourself, do you think that someone who has been fed with such kind of ideas throughout his or her life would be worried about anti-abuse protection laws? The rules would make no sense to them! There is a slogan for a local campaign against domestic violence that says, “some things can’t be covered,” which could be true for bruises and puffed eyes, but I wonder how questionable traditions have been able to live under cover for so long.
It is really shocking to see a woman brought up believing that she comes from an inferior species and her only role in life is to follow and obey. And it is not less horrible to see a man brought up believing in his superiority and that women were only created to satisfy his demands.
Therefore, more education is what really needed. I do not see the reason why such topics cannot be introduced to school programs, say “family studies”. In such programs the young boys and girls could begin to understand the roles and dynamics of family members, and debate social aspects that affect the Saudi family in particular. All this can be introduced within the teachings of morality in Islam. It is a fact that productive and proactive societies understand that every one matters.
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