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Violence Against Women in Qatari

Society
January 2009 · Journal of Middle East Women s Studies
5(1):80-93
DOI:10.1353/jmw.0.0033

Authors:

Kaltham Al-Ghanim
Qatar University

Citations (14) References (9) Figures (2)

Abstract and Figures

This study is the first of its kind using field and

documentary research sources. While official sources on
the subject have proven the limitations of such data, the
study uses a field survey of a sample of 2,787 women
students at Qatar University representing 4.4% of Qatari
females aged 15–64 and 0.4% of non-Qatari females in
the same age group. The study provides important indices
and conclusions, e.g., a substantial percentage of the
participants have experienced violence, with most violence
occurring within the family, from family males such as
brothers, fathers, or husbands. It also shows that some
women were subjected to violence during childhood and
adolescence. The study points to the lack of legislation
and official organizations to protect women from violence
and suggests ways and means of dealing with the problem
in Qatari society.

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80 ./
JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST WOMEN’S STUDIES 5:1

FIELD STUDY

./

Violence Against Women

in Qatari Society
Kaltham Ali al-Ghanim

ABSTRACT
is study is the rst of its kind using eld and documentary research
sources. While o cial sources on the subject have proven the limita-
tions of such data, the study uses a eld survey of a sample of 2,787
women students at Qatar University representing 4.4% of Qatari
females aged 15–64 and 0.4% of non-Qatari females in the same age
group.  e study provides important indices and conclusions, e.g., a
substantial percentage of the participants have experienced violence,
with most violence occurring within the family, from family males
such as brothers, fathers, or husbands. It also shows that some women
were subjected to violence during childhood and adolescence. e
study points to the lack of legislation and ocial organizations to
protect women from violence and suggests ways and means of dealing
with the problem in Qatari society.

INTRODUCTION

I n Qatar and other Arab communities, studies of violence against

women are scarce. According to the author’s preparatory survey
of such studies, not only are they few in number, but the topic of vio-
lence against women has been treated as marginal, the samples studied
have been very small, and some of the studies have been mere surveys of
the problem, while others did not employ proper research methodology
(Bu-Zaboon 2004; al-Irayni 2005; al-Jaba 2005). This article documents
JOURNAL OF MI DDLE EAST WOMEN’S STUDIES
Vol. 5, No. 1 (Winter 2009) © 2009

80

KALTHAM ALI AL- GHANIM ./

81

the first national survey on violence against women in Qatar—indeed,

in any Arab community—and provides recommendations for address-
ing this vital issue in Qatari society.
The process of documenti ng information on violence agai nst
women is aected by the social and cultural context. In a culture such as
that of Qatar, where women are expected to uphold the family’s honor, it
is unacceptable to reveal anything that might bring shame and dishonor
on the family or the tribe. Since governmental security bodies are part
of this cultural context, their performance is restricted by these social
attitudes, rendering their statistics inaccurate and their enforcement of
laws against violence ineective.
Statistics involving cases that have come to the attention of the
Qatari Association for the Protection of Children and Women from Vio-
lence (al-Muwasa al-Qatari le Himaya al-Atfal wa al-Mar’a min al-‘Unf
[QACW]) show that 55 reports of violence against women were made
in 2005, two-thirds involving Qatari women and one-third involving
non-Qatari women. e information as published is not detailed and
does not represent an information database (al-Obaidli 2006). Other
st ati stic s pro vid ed b y th e Mi nis tr y of the In ter ior s how t hat i n 20 04,
65 complaints of domestic violence were presented as follows: 23 cases
of assault and  ghting were addressed to the O ense C our t; 5 to t he
Criminal Court (3 involving homicide and 2 assault); and 37 to the So-
cial Status Department (al-Muhannadi 2006).
Clearly, where no records have been kept of the type of case, the
identities of the victim and the oender, the nationalities of the persons
involved, or the manner of o ense (particularly in cases of domestic
violence), there is insu cient information to determine whether these
cases can be classied as violence against women. Current statistical
data on violence against women lack information, clarity, and organi-
zation. Changing this wou ld require ocials to address the issue seri-
ously and take measures to protect women and apply the international
treaties, protocols, and resolutions signed by the government of Qatar.
LEGAL PROVISIONS

e Qatari judicial system consists of the Ministry of Justice and the

Supreme Judiciary Council. Legislative Law No. 10 of 2003 (October 2,
2004) dened two types of legislation as judicial and religious under one

82 ./
JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST WOMEN’S STUDIES 5:1

body called  e Courts.  ese are the Preliminary Court, the Appellate
Court, and the Supreme Court. Each court is competent to settle cases
led with it in accordance with the law. However, the Qatari legal system
has no provisions for dealing with violence against women, this being a
relatively new area of interest. e state, however, is keen on protecting
the family, including mothers and children, in the face of various chal-
lenges, be they economic, social, cultural, or environmental, and these
challenges include domestic violence in particular.
As stated in the Permanent Constitution of Qatar, Part 2, Article
21, under the heading Basic Social Elements, “ e family is the basis of
society, with religion, morality, and love of the homeland as its essence.
e law should provide all means to protect, consolidate, and maintain
motherhood, childhood, and old age.” Yet some of these principles are
not re ected in criminal law codes. e Qatari Penal Code currently
in force (No. 11 for 2004) does not criminalize domestic violence or
violence against women or children, but it does specify crimes of physi-
cal assault, molestation, defamation, insult, and exposing children to
danger, and it species penalties for felonies or misdemeanors involving
any of these crimes.
In Qatar there is no centralized system of protection for the victims
of abuse. A victim can report their complaint to the Police Department,
the QACW, or the Human Rights Commission, which are the only agen-
cies available. Once reported, their complaint is investigated and the
victim is provided with protection (safe house). e victim can then sue
the oender through the judicial system.

DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES

e Qatari family is characterized by a number of demographic features

common to many developing countries, such as large family size and
high fertility rate. According to GOQ 2004, the average size of a Qatari
family in 1997 was 5.3 members, and while that  gure had decreased
by 2004, it was still greater than the average size of non-Qatari families
resident in Qatar, which was 4.5 members (al-Ghanim 1999; 2004).
e overall fertility rate of Qatari women has taken an upward
trend to reach 3.9 in 2004, despite the relative drop from 4.4 in 1997
(GOQ/SGPC 2006).  is suggests that reproductive literacy has not im-

KALTHAM ALI AL- GHANIM ./

83

proved despite a rise in the level of education among Qataris.  e high

fertility rate among illiterate and lesser-educated females balances the
fertility rate of more educated women, preventing the rate from dropping
below 3.0. Altogether, however, the current trend suggests a decrease in
the next few years, and therefore a drop in population growth rates and
eventually in family size.
e basic transformation in Qatar seems to be the shrinking size
of the family and the change from extended to nuclear families. As well,
the social conditions of large families are changing. As income and
education levels rise and occupations and types of residence change,
the so cia l status of Qat ari fami lies also cha nges. Women’s t rad itiona l
role wit hin t he f amil y is div ersif yin g as wome n join the work forc e.
e participation of Qatari and non-Qatari women in the work force
increased from 10% in 1986 to 15% in 2004; during the same period,
participation of Qatari women increased from 8% to 30%.  is has led
to what is perhaps the most prominent challenge facing modern Qatari
society. e consequences for the Qatari family of women’s entry into
the work force require further study.

QUASI-OFFICIAL STATISTICS ON VIOLENCE

Table 1 shows a set of unpublished data based on available Security

Services Department (SSD) records (i.e. police records) on crimes of
violence committed against women in Qatar from 2000 to 2004 (GOQ/
MOI n.d.). e data reveal a rise in cases of violence against women
from 2000 to 2003, with a negligible decrease in 2004.  is may reect
a growing willingness to  le such cases. It may also reect economic
Table 1
Number of cri mes comm itted aga inst women i n 200 0–200 4.
Percentage of increase/decrease.

Year Nu mber %+/ –

2000 212 –
2001 332 + 57%
2002 402 + 21%
2003 554 + 38%
2004 498 –10%
Source : GOQ/MOI n .d.

84 ./
JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST WOMEN’S STUDIES 5:1

changes and modernization introduced to Qatari society with no clear

awareness of the nature and results of such changes and no plans to
minimize the resultant negative social e ects.
Ac cor di ng t o S SD r eco rds , ove r half o f the rep or ted c ri mes were
committed against Qatari women, and the majority were classi ed as as-
saults, although the type of assault was not specied. Next in frequency
were sexual crimes (such as rape) and premeditated murder, which seem
to be reported more frequently among non-Qatari women. Over half of
the reported violence can be classied as sexual harassment in shopping
precincts. Statistics obtained from SSD, which represent cases normally
referred to the Preliminary Court system, do not reveal the type or de-
gree of violence, nor whether it occurred within the family.
Data from the Emergency Oce of Hamad Hospital in Doha docu-
mented only 200 cases of violence against women in 2006. e victims
ranged between 20 and 40 years of age, and the types of assault extended
from deep wounds to bruises, supercial cuts, and traumas inicted by
hands, sharp tools, or sticks.
ese data originating from dierent sources, such as the Associa-
tion for the Protection of Children and Women, t he Security Ser vices
Department, and Hamad Hospital, show that there are many cases of
women being subjected to violence. But more importantly, the data show
that there is a lack of eective recording and reporting.

METHODOLOGY OF THE FIELD STUDY

 is scientic eld study was nancially supported by Qatar’s Supreme

Council for Family A airs as part of its task to establish policies and
programs aimed at unifying and protecting the family.  e study takes
a descriptive and analytical approach to data and analyses of violence
against women in Qatari society. It is the rst of its kind in Qatar, and
its size has provided an extensive reference source. Due to the scarcity
of data on the subject, it was important to use a survey tool to provide
a database, enrich the methodological and scienti c aspects of study-
ing such a social problem, and yield suggestions for decision-makers
concerned with violence against women. e large sample size allows
re su lts t o be gene ra li zed t o Qat ar i soc ie ty. e study helps to expose
features of violence against women, including its causes and conse-

Citations (14) References (9)

... Academic studies show also that while CEDAW

diminishes the prevalence of physical violence in
rich Muslim countries, it occurs even in wealthy
countries such as Qatar (Al-Ghanim, 2009 ).
Temporary marriage, which is a laundered name for
trafficking in women from poor to rich countries,
occurs in the Gulf states (Parrot and Cummings,
2008: 69). ...

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... Males represented 63 % and females 37 % of

the physically abused children. Al-Ghanim (2009) ,
studied childhood violence in female university
students in Qatar, and showed that the most
common form of violence during childhood was
beating (62 %), followed by humiliation,
degradation, and verbal abuse. In fifth place was
sexual harassment, experienced by 21 % of
respondents. ...

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Kamal · Ziyad Mahfoud

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1638 children from domestic violence between
(Toumi, 2011. In a survey reported in 2009 on 2787
female students at Qatar University, 57% of the
sample reported having experienced violence in
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(Toumi, 2011. In a survey reported in 2009 on 2787
female students at Qatar University, 57% of the
sample reported having experienced violence in
their childhood (Al-Ghanim, 2009 ). The most
common (62%) type of violence reported was
beating, followed by humiliation, degradation,
verbal abuse and finally sexual harassment at 21%.
...

Comparing disciplinary methods used by mothers in

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Article
Jul 2018 · CHILD ABUSE NEGLECT
Madeeha Kamal · Samia Halileh · Soha R
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View Show abstract

... A recent report states the QFCWP sheltered

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2004(Toumi, 2011. In a survey conducted by Qatar
University on their female students in 2009, 57% of
the 2787 female students surveyed reported having
experienced violence in their childhood (Al-
Ghanim, 2009 ). The most common type of violence
reported was beating at 62%, followed by
humiliation, degradation, verbal abuse and finally
sexual harassment at 21%. ...

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study of ICAST-R
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