Violence against women is common

A study carried out by Thomson Reuters Foundation established worrying trends that are prevalent today. To begin with, women are subjected to physical violence by men, including their spouses and relatives, the latter being manifested in honor killings as happens in Palestine territories and Jordan.

Sexual rights are largely non-existent for women

Sexual exploitation is also prevalent as epitomized by rape, even within the domestic sphere, with no pertinent laws to punish offenders. In fact, in some cases, all the rapist has to do to avoid jail is to marry the trophy of his conquest – the woman. Even worse, some countries like Saudi Arabia and Jordan jail women who have been raped, ostensibly for adultery.

10 years olds are married off

The oppression of Arab women is also manifested through early marriages. Apart from Tunisia where girls cannot be married until they attain 20 years of age, Syria and Yemen allow children as young as 10 years to enter into matrimony. Obviously, these children are denied education and enter adult life while illiterate a good example being over 60% illiteracy rate among adult Egyptian women.

FGM is almost universal in certain nations

Freemiddleeast.com observes that “In Egypt, often considered one of the more liberal countries in the Middle East, UNICEF found that from 1997 to 2007, 96 percent of women between 15 and 49 have experienced female genital mutilation.   In Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, and Oman female genital mutilation is also an issue.”

Participation in election is a luxury

The Center of Arab Women for Training and Research observes that “The numbers of Arab women participating in politics is the lowest in the world.” Although some countries like Tunisia are showing a gradual movement towards granting women the right to vote and stand for election, majority of Arab women remain mere spectators in politics.

No much hope for the future

Considering the intricate relationship between religion, culture and patriarchy, it is anybody’s guess on how long it will take before Arab women can have equal rights to those of their male counterparts. There is hope, however, that other states will emulate Tunisia’s approach towards inclusive democracy.

©EthLeen

The post Shocking Cruelty against Women in the Arab World appeared first on Alaafia African Family Resource Center.

A culture of silence

Authoritarianism and repression are the epitomes of most communist states, and China is not an exception. For women, downtrodden and subjugated by culture, suppression is meted twice. The media, heavily controlled by the state, ensures that the suffering of millions of women is concealed from the rest of the world. It is a conspiracy that has ensured that domestic violence against women becomes a normal practice.

What is domestic violence?

According to Safehorizon.org, “Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. Other terms for domestic violence include intimate partner violence, battering, relationship abuse, spousal abuse, or family violence.”

In 2011, the All China Women’s Federation reported that a quarter of Chinese women must undergo one form of domestic violence or the other in their lifetime. This is just a tip of the iceberg as these are the cases that reach authorities. Millions other instances of domestic abuse go unreported.

Breaking the silence

Up to the time Kim Lee spoke out, not many people had reason to doubt the façade that was the Chinese domestic scene. In 2011, fed up by being abused and battered by her celebrity spouse, Lee spoke about the predicament of the Chinese woman, calling it a domestic violence epidemic. However, this is just one case of a woman who refused to suffer in silence and exposed her unfortunate plight to the media. How about the many that cannot overcome culture or maneuver their way through a legal system dominated by the same men who abuse them?

The way forward

In 2013, the Chinese Judiciary asserted that only less than 20% of domestic violence cases are proved beyond doubt in courts; the rest collapse because it is difficult to collect and verify evidence. In late 2014, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that China had developed its initial law to fight domestic violence. Hopefully, the enactment of this law will result in greater awareness of the issue and possible scaling down of domestic violence.

©EthLeen

The post Domestic Violence Challenges in China appeared first on Alaafia African Family Resource Center.