VZCZCXRO1817
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHDO #1214/01 3640631
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 300631Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7427
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 001214 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM KWMN QA
SUBJECT: EMPOWERING QATARI WOMEN TO TACKLE FAMILY VIOLENCE 
 
 
¶1. The Qatar Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) 
organized November 25-26 a workshop on combating violence 
against women, a subject once considered taboo in Qatar. 
Even today, the Qatari Criminal Code does not define 
punishments or penalize offenders in this regard.  Likewise, 
Qatar has not ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination 
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women under the 
pretext that some gender-related clauses are not in line with 
Islamic principles.  The November 25 discussions centered on 
the findings of the first study of its kind on "violence 
against women in Qatari society," followed by remarks and 
discussions coming from the floor about the study and its 
findings. 
 
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Widespread Violence against Women 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2. Consistent with the SCFA,s commitment to establishing a 
legal system responsive to familial relationships and needs, 
the SCFA marked the International Day for Eliminating 
Violence against Women (November 25), by organizing the 
seminar at which Dr. Kulthum Al-Ghanim, a Qatar University 
Professor of Social Sciences, presented the findings of her 
first study of its kind on violence against women in Qatar. 
She surveyed 2,787 female students at Qatar University, 84.9 
percent of whom were Qataris between the ages of 17 and 25. 
Of those surveyed, 24 percent had been exposed to violence 
from male family members; beatings and physical assaults were 
the most prevalent form of domestic violence.  64 percent of 
respondents reporting being subjected to violence said they 
had been beaten.  The study also registered other forms of 
abuse, such as the suppression of freedom, humiliation, 
divorce threats, forced pregnancy, rape, and sexual 
harassment. According to the study, husbands were the primary 
abusers, followed by brothers and then fathers. 
 
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Culture of Silence 
------------------ 
 
¶3. Al-Ghanim noted that 62.69 percent of these women reported 
not seeking assistance of any kind outside of the home, 
particularly from official agencies.  According to the study, 
there was a lack of awareness and trust in these agencies' 
ability to protect victims.  Since police in Qatar are 
reluctant to treat family violence against women as a 
criminal matter, the prevailing perception of police, 
explained Al-Ghanim, is that such violence is a "normal 
family issue" that should be addressed through mediation, if 
at all.  The absence of criminal laws in this regard further 
deters women from coming forward to report violence to which 
they are subjected at home, she observed.  Al-Ghanim 
indicated that social and family pressures further prevent 
victims from reporting incidents to anyone outside the home. 
According to the study, more than half of the women surveyed 
reported having attempted suicide because of the "culture of 
silence" surrounding assaults on women by family members. 
 
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Men Should "Discipline" Women 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4. One key finding of the study was that 41.97 percent of the 
women surveyed said they deserved the violence committed 
against them; 37 percent stated that men should discipline 
women and that women generally need "someone" to discipline 
them.  These outcomes, based on discussion at the conference, 
reflected the traditional family order in Qatar, where women 
are perceived as weak and fragile persons in need of 
protection and custody.  Based on her study, Al-Ghanim, in 
addressing the workshop, called for a renewed emphasis on 
educating women, as it plays a key role in forming and 
improving their self-image. 
 
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Social Analysis of the Phenomenon 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. As part of her study, Al-Ghanim offered a social analysis 
of the phenomenon of violence against women in Qatar.  Based 
on her findings, she said the Qatari family structure has a 
direct impact on women's social status withn the family. 
She cited prevailing tribal valuesand customs exemplified by 
the saying, "A sisteris but one hair in her brother's 
beard," as negaively affecting women's status and 
contributing t their diminished social rights.  Society's 
prevailing values have also, l-Ghanim maintained, increased 
women's exposure to social violnce, deprived them of control 
of thir finances, and subjected them to male dominance n 
deciding matters of marriage and divorce.  Mals, she said, 
also largely determined the quantit and quality of education 
for girls, made decisions concerning women's employment, and 
 
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decided other family matters requiring the consent and 
approval of husbands. 
 
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The Vital Need to Build a Statistical Database 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶6. According to Al-Ghanim, official government data on the 
abuse of women is neither accurate nor detailed.  The one 
exception is a report by the Qatar Foundation for Women's and 
Children's Protection (QFWCP).  It referenced 55 cases of 
violence against women -- 34 against Qatari women and 21 
against non-Qatari women -- in 2005.  What stands out in 
those numbers, Al-Ghanim observed, is the high number of 
cases involving Qatari women, especially since foreign women 
outnumber Qatari Women approximately four to one.  Al-Ghanim 
added that statistics from the Ministry of the Interior noted 
65 cases of family violence dealt with by the Crime and 
Offenses Court and Social Status Office.  Of these cases, 32 
came before the Offenses Court and five before the Criminal 
Court.  The cases referred to the latter body include three 
pre-meditated murders and two assaults.  Finally, Al-Ghanim 
reported that 37 claims of family violence were addressed in 
the Family Status Courts. Here again, though, the official 
government statistics are short on detail. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Call to Amend Related Legislation 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶7. In her remarks to the conference, Al-Ghanim made several 
recommendations, among which were: 
 
-- Increasing the role of decision-makers, public opinion 
leaders, civil society institutions and academic centers and 
institutions of the international community in protecting 
women against violence; 
 
-- Promoting a family environment devoid of violence against 
women; 
 
-- Laying out a national strategy to combat violence against 
women; 
 
-- Amending the criminal code to create statutes on domestic 
violence; 
 
-- Establishing a reliable statistical database. 
 
¶8.  In line with the above recommendations, the SCFA 
Secretary General told us the goal of organizing this event 
 
SIPDIS 
was to prepare society for new legislation tackling domestic 
violence and, in particular, violence against women. 
Secretary General Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Khalifa added that 
 
SIPDIS 
the SCFA hoped to initiate legislation in this regard in the 
near future. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Call for Special Courts to Tackle Family Violence 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶9. The participants at a round-table discussion following the 
conference complimented Al-Ghanim,s recommendations, which 
were the highlight of the event, and went beyond them in 
certain regards.  For example, they called for establishing 
special courts to tackle family violence.  Some of the 
round-table participants further advocated amendments to the 
current criminal code to address family violence as well as 
revision of all other current laws related to families. 
Others called for a brand-new, all-encompassing law on family 
violence.  Among the distinguished local and regional figures 
participating in the round-table discussion were Ferida 
Al-Obeidly, Director-General of the QFWCP; Hassan Al-Sayed, 
Dean of the Law Faculty at Qatar University; Fawziya 
Al-Obeidly, Qatari Lawyer; Asma Al-Ajmi, Kuwaiti lawyer; and 
Supreme Judicial Council Judge Omer.  The conference was 
moderated by Noor Al-Malki, Director of the Women's 
Department at the SCFA. 
RATNEY