Women victims in 45% of domestic violence cases

Women were the victims in 45 percent of domestic violence cases filed with the Ministry of Justice over the past 15 months, sources said recently.

Over the past two months, there were 2,491 cases filed with the ministry. Of this, 12 percent of the women said that their parents refused to let them marry and 10.5 percent sought shelter and protection from their abusers, the source was quoted as saying in a local publication.

Nine percent complained of sexual harassment and being abused by drug- addicted perpetrators, while 7 percent said that their abusers took their salaries.

A total of 4.3 percent of the women said they were denied access to their children, while 1.4 percent said they were prevented from getting an education.

Sahar Al- Sharif, a woman in her twenties, claimed she was raised by her violent brothers after her parents passed away. “It was a typical violent male upbringing. I was always the target of their violent behavior,” Al- Sharif said.

Al- Sharif said that she had hoped to escape from her abusers when she got married, but her husband also turned out to be violent. He beat her so badly during her first pregnancy that she nearly lost her baby.

An official at the Social Protection Shelter in Makkah said violence against women is on the rise.

There were 30 to 40 cases a month in 2013, but this rose to more than 60 cases a month by the middle of 2014.

“Cases of violence vary from denying women their right to education to sexual harassment. Husbands, fathers and brothers are the offenders in these cases,” said the official. There was no difference in the number of cases during the holy month of Ramadan.

She said female students at high school and college are mostly the ones who file complaints at the shelter. “These students are more aware of the issue. They know they have rights and the law is on their side,” she said.

Kholoud Nasser, a social worker, said women must not accept abuse. “Parents sometimes abuse their daughters by forcing them to marry someone they don’t want to marry,” Nasser said.

She said some people think that violence is the way they should deal with others. “For them violence is the first and only way to communicate with women. It is therefore very important to apply the regulations and punish those involved in such abuse,” she said.