Qatar, an Emirate on the western shores of Persian Gulf has made headlines for the wrong reasons. A study on violence against women, ’surprisingly and eventually’ the first of their kind in the Emirate ‘has made a new statement’.

‘Women in Qatar readily overlook, when they are exploited’

Abuse generally includes physical torture, divorce threats, name-calling, rape and deliberate pregnancy. A significance percentage of women do not even have access to basic rights. Violence and discrimination against women and depriving them of their rights are not something new in this world. What is new, though is, some women justify these abuses and accept them happily! Sadly, this has emerged from the Islamic world, where women are only considered ‘objects’ governed by ‘wrongly interpreted’ holy rules of women behavior.

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A study conducted by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Qatar has thrown some shocking results. The results are indicative of over 40% of young women overlooking domestic violence against them, the ‘leading abusers’ beings husbands followed by relatives. The study also goes on to show a forceful percentage suffering abuse since childhood and some since adolescence.

young qatari girls

Young Qatari girls also suffer abuses

Opinions on the results are divided with some targeting husbands directly, while others, striking at the dreadful husband-mother-in-law combination. It is also true that, ‘Domestic violence goes unpunished in majority of the cases”.

There is an urgent need to empower women socially, politically and economically. There can no longer be a gender-divide in this world. While this message resonates across the borders of artificial nations of our world, one can only hope that positive action on this message will follow.

It is also important to note that Qatar has not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979). Many ‘Islamic Nations’ try to put religious principles far above issues that have to be ‘addressed in common’ across religions.

News Source: Scorpical

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