RIYADH: A recent study conducted by Roaya Center for Social Studies, which took testimonies of wives subjected to various types of violence by their husbands, shows that 83 percent of the cases of abuse are of physical violence.
A well-informed source at the National Society for Human Rights said that there were 111 cases of reported complaints from abused women, with Riyadh in the lead with 37 cases during the period 1435H to 1436H. Makkah and Jeddah recorded 18 cases, Madinah 23, Jazan 17, Dammam 10 and Asir 6.
Criminal courts in about 13 regions of the Kingdom recorded 317 cases of violence against women in 1435 and 1436.
Lawyer Badr Al-Shatri said 99 percent of the cases involving violence against women end up with the wife withdrawing the complaint and settling the issue before it reaches court because of different factors, foremost among them fear for herself and the children, and for emotional and social reasons.
Saleh Al-Sarhan, director of the Makkah branch of the National Society for Human Rights, said complaints received by the branch include mostly psychological violence.
"In case the wife suffers physical abuse, the case is immediately referred to the police for further action, while a special protection committee makes the necessary arrangements to shelter the abused women", said Al-Sarhan.
Psychiatrist Matar Al-Zahrani said the increasing phenomenon of violence among spouses is the result of inequality of thought and mind.
"Ignorance of the principles of the Islamic Shariah on the part of some couples sometimes drives the husband to resort to violence as a means of discipline or intimidation," he said, adding that the violence takes different forms, including verbal, moral, psychological and physical.
"Marital disputes may be the result of earlier educational traditions transmitted through generations among children who used to see their mothers being scolded, hit and humiliated by the father without taking any deterrent action because of traditions, of course, or because of fear or weakness," he added.
Nouf Al-Ali, a woman social worker, said three out of five women in the country are subjected to violence, either at home or in the workplace.
"Here we are speaking of mothers, sisters or daughters. Sexual harassment is the worst kind of violence suffered by women," she elaborated.
She also said that the low income of a family is one of the factors leading to violence against women, because in that case, “women stay silent and bear all this abusive behavior for fear of getting divorced and losing their family.”
83% of cases of violence against women physical
83% of cases of violence against women physical
