The Swedish Institute in Alexandria last month convened an international seminar on “Fighting violence against women”.
The seminar, which was led by the institute’s director, Jan Henningsson, discussed the legal and constitutional aspects as well as human rights issues related to women, and ways of protecting them. Items on the agenda included: crimes of honour and how they were dealt with by the courts; the impact of traditional customs on societies; crimes of honour in the media; the role played by human rights organisations; and cooperation between civil organisations in tackling the problem.
Taking part in the seminar were scientists, academic researchers, lawyers, and representatives of civil groups from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Turkey, Britain, and Sweden.
Male-dominated society
The similarity of social and economic circumstances—in addition to an inherited culture of male dominance in eastern societies—was given as the reason for the similarity in the ways and motives of crimes perpetrated against women in Arab societies. The participants were surprised to hear of an increasing number of honour crimes against women in Europe—especially in Sweden. On the other hand, there are strict laws in the West that guarantee the protection pf women’s rights, unlike the situation in the Arab nations where there are wide gaps in the law.
Information offered by participants disclosed that there was no exact database to include accurate numbers of instances of violent crimes perpetrated against women in Arab nations. Moreover, cooperation between organisations concerned with women’s affairs and victims was almost absent, largely because most women do not come forward to report such crimes, in order to protect their families.
Unfair statutes
Fatouh al-Shazli, professor of criminal law at Alexandria University, called for re-phrasing the many articles of law that are written in a way unfair to women. Dr Shazli said they should be redrawn to fall in line with the rights accepted by moral and human values.
Rates of honour crimes vary among Arab countries. In Lebanon honour crimes only exist in poor and strictly religious districts, unlike Syria, where such crimes are not related to cultural and social levels but to the popular concept of religious teachings and the culture inimical to women.
Researchers in Morocco maintained that two thirds of all Moroccan women were uneducated, with the rate among peasant women standing at 80 per cent. Many become pregnant out of wedlock, and are accordingly thrown out by their families into streets where, finding no shelter, they lead a life described as prostitution. Fearful of being murdered at the hands of their male relatives these women often run away to Europe.
Small nation, no law
Honour crimes do not figure highly in Palestine, but nevertheless Palestinian women are treated with oppressive unfairness; having no option but to surrender for fear of being deprived of their children under the shadow of difficult political and economic circumstances. The rate of working women in Palestine is no more than 14 percent, yet despite the country’s small geographic area there is no law concerning women’s affairs.
Speaking of the role played by the Arab media and its influence on women’s issues, the Watani representative suggested that the media concentrated only on her image as a housewife, or dependent women, ignoring women as workers, innovators and contributors to development side by side with men.
