{"id":62,"date":"2013-09-28T16:35:48","date_gmt":"2013-09-28T16:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rdflwomen.org\/eng\/?p=62"},"modified":"2014-09-28T17:34:11","modified_gmt":"2014-09-28T17:34:11","slug":"marital-violence-in-lebanon-field-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rdflwomen.org\/eng\/marital-violence-in-lebanon-field-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Marital Violence in Lebanon – Field Study"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Fahmia Chrafeddine<\/strong>
\n The field work is supervised by researcher Caroline Succar Salibi
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"logos\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Violence against Women in Lebanon<\/b><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Causes, Forms and Expectations<\/b><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The issue of violence is a core problem of our society, and is tied to all its pivotal issues. Attempting to explicate this phenomenon in its various aspects and dimensions confronts us with the progress or the stagnation of our society and our views on the two concepts of culture of violence and discrimination against women. It also confronts us with societal transformation and the reason for the absence of real concomitant social change inside the family which retained the features of male patriarchal authority despite the emergence of new factors that changed the dynamics of the functions and the roles entrusted to it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Many sociologists lay the responsibility for the sluggishness and stagnation of the social situation in our country on the family situation which is exclusively governed by religious canons with all the ensuing disparities between the rights of men and women within and across sects. As long as it is not possible to challenge the source of civil status law and its contents, Lebanese women will remain second class citizens, violence against women and girls will remain widespread and concealed, and gender discrimination will remain effective in our educational and instructional systems as well as in our media and values. Therefore, our role and the role of women\u2019s organizations is a pressing need in order to work on changing this reality.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In this respect and since 1995, the Lebanese Democratic Women\u2019s Gathering has been conducting a comprehensive program for opposing violence against women which constitutes a major obstacle between women and their human rights. The gathering is well aware that the diligent effort to advance the cause of women in Lebanon should not be restricted to activist work but requires in-depth research into the historical and political path of women\u2019s issues and a scientific analysis of the nature of existing relations between the two sexes and the current cultural and social structures. These are the foundations of this study on violence against women with its various angles and the potential danger it poses amid the negligence of the government and society, and the role of nongovernmental organizations in confronting this situation and helping women to face this problem. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, studying the reality of violence and hostility toward women aims to expose the often tyrannical, authoritative, and exploitative discrimination against women in an attempt to deligitimize these practices, divulge these violations, and break the silence around them and around their deep-rooted processes in society. All of this is in line with promulgating women\u2019s rights which cannot be obtained without achieving a woman\u2019s right to her physical and psychological safety and her right to personal dignity.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The aim of this study is also to improve our understanding of the reality of female victims of violence in Lebanon, in light of the interviews that were conducted with Lebanese women from a variety of sociological, cultural and social segments. These rich and diverse interviews allowed us to delve deeper into the secret lives of women, their buried feelings, their fragmented identities, and their denied right to physical safety and personal dignity, in a way that turned each case into a study by itself.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This will create momentum for more work and debate on this important topic that remained shrouded in silence for a very long time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, the gathering extends its gratitude and appreciation to all those who collaborated in the completion of this project. Special thanks to Dr. Fahmia Charafeddine, Miss Fatima al Zoghbi (Assistant Researcher), Mr. Tony Chahwan (Researcher), and the team that conducted the field work.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The gathering also extends its gratitude to the coordinator of the project for eliminating violence against women, Mrs. Caroline Succar Salibi, for her efforts, and to the women with whom the interviews were conducted who opened their hearts and were highly cooperative. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, many thanks to Miss Rana Sayed for her diligent work on translating this study.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Section one:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Study Framework<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Discussing violence against women in Arab societies remains very difficult. In addition to its classification among private family issues which are guarded by customs and traditions, these discussions provoke the patriarchal culture of the society and the various forms of the-so called cultural specificity, \u201cto the extent that merely talking about it in our Arab societies provokes resistance\u201d. The third Arab human development report indicates that this is due to the fact that \u201cthe exploratory studies that allow tracking forms of violence across the Arab societies are still in their infancy”<\/span><\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n

Most Arab researchers (Hisham Shrabi, Mustapha Hijazi, Ali Ziour, Haleem Barakat, and many others) agree that the deep roots of the masculine culture in our Arab societies still stands as a firm barrier against any reform in the value system that guides our social lives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hisham Shrabi became quickly aware of the relational problems that plague the Arab society, and he noted that the organic relationship between the cultural value system and the stability of patriarchal power is linked to the stagnation that characterizes our Arab societies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

According to Hisham Shrabi, patriarchal culture is \u201cnot reason but blocked reason\u201d<\/span><\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>, and the culture of blocked reason shuts the door in the face of questioning and research and thinking.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This was later confirmed (2002) by the first Arab Human Development report which placed the shortage in the empowerment of women and the improvement of their social status on an equal footing with the shortage of freedom and the shortage of knowledge production, and it made all three elements equally important in the processes of development and advancement. In an important chapter on the position of women in Arab societies, Dr. Mustapha Hijazi saw women as \u201cthe most blatant example of oppression in all its aspects, dynamics and apology in Arab society\u201d<\/span><\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>. Dr. Hijazi describes the different faces of oppression through three spoliations that befall women in varying degrees depending on the level of progress of the local societies they live in. These are: \u201cthe economic spoliation, the sexual spoliation, the belief spoliation\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Hijazi believes that the exploitation of women through these spoliations does not happen in a direct manner, but like all forms of aggression, , as Pierre Bourdieu would say, it needs to be transformed into symbolic violence, i.e. by suppressing its exploitative nature through surrounding women with a collection of myths that make it appear legitimate, even natural<\/span><\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, violence is sometimes transformed from visible into concealed violence which is Bourdieu\u2019s symbolic violence \u201ctranquil violence, unseen, unfelt even by its victims\u201d. This violence is characterized by the fact that the victim and the executioner share the same views about the world and the levels of social, economic, sexual, and cultural life. They both consider \u201cdomination\u201d as a given. Symbolic violence, as the interviews will show, imposes these assumptions and presents them as immutable facts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, the first step in opposing violence, as the fourth Arab Human Development report <\/span><\/span>devoted to the rise of the Arab woman said, is \u201cfighting its concealment, exposing it, and tearing the veil of silence that surrounds it both in the public and private spheres\u201d<\/span><\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, speaking about violence in Arab societies does not signify its absence in the rest of the world. It is a global problem that led the United Nations\u2019 General Assembly to take the initiative and decide to undertake an in-depth study regarding all patterns and forms of violence against women in the world (resolution 158\/85). During the international day against violence towards women, UNDP (United Nations Development Program) General Manager Kamal Darwish stated that \u201cwhile it is difficult to estimate the extent of the spread of violence against women, because it often goes unreported, the WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that a quarter of women in the world are victims of rape, battery or forced sexual relations during their lives, and no country or community can pretend to be free of family violence, which crosses the boundaries of culture, class, education, income, ethnicity, age, etc.\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In our Lebanese society the prevailing culture and the civil status laws, which are governed by the various religious authorities, cast a sacred halo on the family and family relations thereby preventing any progress toward the modification of the patterns and roles of men and women and creating obstacles to the adjustment of the views that surround the lives of women and their roles in society.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The conclusions presented by the Director of the United Nations Development Program were confirmed by the few studies that have been conducted on violence against women in Lebanon. The culture of violence against women in Lebanon crosses community, confessional, educational, religious, and city boundaries. The image of women is being reshaped by the various social institutions (family, school, and media). The study conducted by Fahmia Charafeddine and Aman Shaarani on the image of women in the new Arabic language and education primary programs confirmed that the new school programs were reproducing the same traditional expectations as to the image and the roles of women, and that attributes like rationality, independence, leadership freedom, and creativity were male attributes in these books <\/span><\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This conclusion is also supported by,field research as gender discrimination against children does not seem to raise questions among girls. The sampled respondents in the study on \u201dthe culture of violence against women in Lebanon\u201d<\/span><\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup> found it \u201cnormal\u201d, one of them because her brother was an only son, another because her brother was the youngest in the family, and very few of them expressed an awareness of discrimination. In this regard, anthropologists indicate that the defeat of the female gender is so ancient that it appears as a fact of nature.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

John Stuart Mill used the concept of the \u201claw of force\u201d saying that \u201cthe principle that regulates the social relations between the two genders (male and female) and legitimzes the submission of one gender to the other is inherently wrong …\u201d<\/span><\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>. In Mill\u2019s view, the law of force constitutes an obstacle in the path of human development because the difficulty lies in the fact that the issue involves a group of emotions that must be overcome\u201d,\u201das long as gender inequality remains rooted in the people\u2019s emotions ,refuting these arguments shakes the foundations of this belief.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In his important book, \u201cSociology\u201d<\/span><\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>, Anthony Giddens mentions that consecutive studies by Connell (1987-1998) raised the main question that leads to the creation and maintenance of inequality between men and women. . Connell states that gender relations in modern societies, meaning the western capitalist societies \u201care still subject to paternal authority and the resulting patterns of masculinity and femininity on the individual level continue to revolve around the core postulate of the supremacy of men over women\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Connell apparently uses the supremacy concept as it was developed by Gramsci. Supremacy in this sense refers to \u201cthe social domination exercised by a particular group in a particular society not through overwhelming power but through a set of cultural values that seep into the contents of private life and the various fields of social life. This supremacy expands and takes root through different channels including the media, educational institutions, and cultural and confessional guidance\u201d. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Male supremacy first begins with sexual relations and marriage, and spreads through authority, power, salaried work, and sheer physical force.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In this hierarchical pyramid of male supremacy, the various types of femininity occupy inferior submissive levels in most circumstances. The attributes and classifications of women revolve around value configurations that operate in favor of the interests of men and their desires, and are on the whole characterized by qualities like \u201csubmission, docility, caring, and empathy\u201d. Women movements and human rights movements became aware of cultural violence early on and tried to include it in all the declarations pertaining to women. This is how the fourth article of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women which was adopted in 1993 appeared. This article states the following: \u201cStates should condemn violence against women and should not invoke any customs, or religious traditions to circumvent their obligations regarding the elimination of such violence\u201d<\/span><\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>. \u201cStates should pursue the policy of eliminating violence against women using all appropriate means and without delay\u201d. This article addresses all kinds of violence including violence undertaken in the name of a symbolic principle. It is as if this declaration is trying to lay the foundations for eliminating all the reservations that could arise as it happened in this declaration and in the international <\/span><\/span>Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women<\/span><\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This could be the primary purpose of the report of the Secretary General regarding violence against women which was published as \u201can in-depth study of all forms of violence against women\u201d. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So what is the situation of violence against women in Lebanon?<\/span><\/p>\n

How does this violence relate to the beliefs and emotions produced by inequality?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How is violence perpetrated against women inside the family?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What are its types?<\/span><\/p>\n

How do women fight this violence?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How do they respond in the absence of legal and social protection mechanisms?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2. Violence against women in Lebanese ethics: studies, methodologies, results <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2.1. Addressing the subject of violence against women in Arab societies is recent, and along with other issues such as democracy and human rights, it made its way into Arabic speech and research at the end of the last century in the course of the significant transformations that swelt through thought, politics, and society on the international level.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Our Arab societies broke the barrier of silence that surrounds the lives of women and they dared in different degrees to open the subject of violence against women. This has produced a varied academic output and a survey of the different cases (honor crimes, wife beating, \u2026)<\/span><\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>. Despite this, we can say that research on violence against women remains scarce if not rare in view of the importance of the issue.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The subject is still far from being quantitatively analyzed. For instance, it is not possible to know the number of female victims of violence in Lebanon, and what can be accessed in the files of police departments or religious courts does not even represent the tip of the iceberg.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The few<\/span><\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup> studies about violence against women have clearly and explicitly shown that violence against women in Lebanon is a basic element of Lebanese culture, and the various images of the lives of different women, educated or illiterate, urban or rural, working in the highest echelons of the employment and professional ladder (engineers, doctors, pharmacists), or in the lowest (agricultural workers, maids in homes or hotels), married or single and unemployed. These various images were drawn by a universal culture that has expertise in concealing social and religious differences, and they slip through the meanders of life from childhood to death, sometimes visible and many times not, to brand the lives of these women with the stigma of discrimination and violence that will accompany their lives and confine their hopes and dreams.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The testimonies were given a lot of importance in this study because they belong to ordinary women that did not come to us as victims of violence, but were selected among women living like everyone else, a life that is not like any life however because under constant threat, and as Maryam says in one of the testimonies, I found myself suddenly labeled as a \u201cpersona non grata.\u201d Being a female was not encouraged in her family. They were expecting a boy and when she was born \u201cmy mother forgot she had a daughter called Maryam\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In a second study by Dr Rafif Sidawi entitled \u201cMaids 2000\u201d, conducted on a sample of female victims of violence who had taken refuge at the Lebanese society against violence, the researcher attempted to start from that sample in order to determine the types and forms of violence and the reactions of the women towards it. The researcher showed, using qualitative analysis and historical explanation, that violence represents the intersection between the elements that constitute the family value system. The authority of the father, the brother, and the husband are different aspects of the same problem. As Hisham Shrabi says, it is \u201cthe profound and continuous hostility toward women\u201d even though the degree varies and it is an attribute of Arab societies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In a field study on opposing violence towards women within the family, the two researchers Samir Khoury and Mary Khoury found that one of the major obstacles to the awareness of violence resides in that the refusal of women to admit its presence. Women are either unable to speak because they are unable to suffer the consequences, or they accept the violence and consider it part of \u201cnormal\u201d life in light of how widespread the phenomenon is in the family life of all the social segments, regions, and confessions,<\/span><\/span>14<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n

In addition to these studies, there are a few exploratory studies such as the one conducted by Aziza al Khalidi in 2000 on the spread of domestic violence in Palestinian families. Of course, many of the periodic reports conducted by Lebanese and international anti-violence institutions provide additional substance to the picture of violence against women in Lebanon. These studies and reports all lead us to the cautious assertion that violence and discrimination affect all women in one way or another and that the element of punishment or reprimand is fundamental in our educational system. If punishment is deemed necessary to adjust the behavior of children, it is essential for achieving the subjugation of women and their adaptation to the family value system. In one of the Lebanese national seminars on violence, female participants responded to a simple one-question survey: \u201cIs there a woman among you who has not been beaten or scolded from her childhood to the present day?\u201d The unanimous answer was no; they were beaten or scolded for no other reason than being women.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In an attempt to identify the reasons behind family violence, the \u201cProgress of Arab Women\u201d report issued by UNIFEM in 2004 indicated that \u201cthe wife-beating and domestic violence in Arab societies are linked to the view of intellectual and social authorities on this issue which they insist on considering \u201d normal\u201d<\/span><\/span>15<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Domestic violence, as shown by case studies and field studies is part of the Lebanese family culture. Females are exposed to violence from their birth to the last moment of their lives. In popular belief having a daughter is misfortune. This is why when a boy is born there is an outbreak of joy and when a girl is born the women come to comfort the unfortunate mother and these ideas have not apparently changed much. In an interesting testimony given by a young woman who was not much older than 25 at the time, she stated that she was discriminated against in everything: \u201cin clothing, play, and pampering\u201d. Although all the testimonies that were collected in the course of this study<\/span><\/span>16<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>confirmed that beating, disciplining, detention, and deprivation as punishment tools were part of the educational system of the Lebanese family regardless of its environment (rural or urban) or its religious identity, they also confirmed that the beating of girls was entirely different: \u201ca girl was beaten every time she or he-her brother- made a mistake\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In adolescence symbolic violence was added to physical violence. Discrimination had another flavor: \u201cit traced the current direction of my future life\u201d said one of the witnesses. Adolescence is the period when symbolic perceptions of the roles of women and men are formed, as well as ideas like submission and dependency, and symbolic values like obedience and shame. These are basic rules that families dictate.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In our Lebanese society, where the subject of violence against women is closely related to the prevalent patriarchal culture that is based on the power of males over females and their supremacy over them in every field, a link is established between violence and punishment, between violence and beliefs, between violence and morality, and in all these dyads women alone take on the burden of their behavior and the behavior of men<\/span><\/span>17<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>. This is how the violence that accompanies women from birth to death is justified and concealed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There is no social or legal acknowledgement of violence against women except in homicide cases and even then various justifications are given, morally based on the system of traditions and customs, and legally since the Lebanese penal law still discriminates against women in articles related to homicide<\/span><\/span>18<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Legal discrimination in this case is very indicative. The numerous Lebanese laws that discriminate against women eliminate the ability to fight violence. There is no definition for violence in legal circles or police departments and the matter of evaluating violence is left up to them. For example, violence does not constitute grounds for divorce and not only are any deterring mechanisms or laws to protect women completely absent; there is no demand for them yet.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2.2. Denouncing violence & current wavering<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The issue of violence lagged behind the other issues that were handled by United Nations entities. Although the Human Rights Declaration called for the acknowledgement of women as human beings with economic and social rights, a clear reference to the violence inflicted on them came somewhat late. A clear stance on the issue of a woman\u2019s human rights was not taken until the declaration and action program of the Vienna Conference that was held in June 1992. Section 3, Paragraph 18 states: \u201cThe human rights of women and the girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights . The full and equal participation of women in political, civil, social and cultural life, at the national, regional and international levels, and the eradication of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex are priority objectives of the international community.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And although the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was issued years before (1989), it did not address the issue of violence as it was discussed in the agreement. It was not until 1992 that the Committee for the Elimination of All Form of Discrimination against Women, ,adopted in its 11<\/span><\/span>th <\/span><\/span><\/sup>session recommendation number 19 which calls for the expansion of the official general ban on gender-based discrimination defined in paragraph (6) as <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cviolence that is directed against woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately. It includes acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This opened the door to many decisions that condemn violence against women and call for punishing its perpetrators, for instance decree no. 52\/98 pertaining to the traffic of women and girls, decree no. 52\/97 pertaining to violence against female migrant workers and decree no. 52\/99 pertaining to traditional practices that affect the health of women and girls . <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This belated awakening failed to generate the echo it deserves in the Arab countries, as demonstrated by the weak progress achieved in protecting women from violence and the continuous coercion of organizations and associations that work on the elimination of violence against women. In spite of all this, the discussion of violence against women which began as whisper in the nineties is growing exponentially. A few victims had the courage to come forward and hot lines for receiving testimonies and complaints were established in Lebanon. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, these societies that broke the wall of silence and dealt with the phenomenon of violence against women remain rare and their treatment of the issue remained within the traditional framework. In her paper on Arab media and violence against women<\/span><\/span>19<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>, Dr Zeina Awad states that \u201cthe cases that report violence against women on the front page are represented in a way that does not contradict the basic gender assumptions that discriminate against women\u201d. This may explain the dearth of studies that tackle violence in the Arab region.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A partial survey performed in the libraries of ESCWA, Amnesty International and the Human Rights Office in Lebanon showed that the contents of these libraries consist mainly of reports prepared by Amnesty International and other Human Rights organizations. Amnesty International\u2019s 2006 report entitled \u201cthe status of Human Rights\u201d may be one of the most important reports that tackle the issue of violence against women. The main objectives of this report were: confronting the disregard of violence against women in social, official and non-official (religious) circles, and calling for the adoption of effective measures to face it. The report also calls for the protection of women\u2019s rights advocates.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With reference to Lebanon, the report points to \u201cthe persistence of discrimination against women in the legal context and the absence of sufficient protection for women from domestic violence.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This statement does not come as a surprise in light of Lebanon\u2019s reservations on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and especially article 562 of the penal code which continues to allow men who commit honor killings to go unpunished. It is noteworthy to point out that the Shiite authority Mr. Mohamad Hussein Fadlallah issued a legal opinion (Iftaa) that deems \u201cunacceptable the avoidance of punishment for the killers and that honor is not limited to women.\u201d That is the first time that religious authorities participate in a discussion of this issue. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, it may be useful here to point to the major role played by the Beijing conference in making violence a principal topic in the multilateral discussion among governments, civil society and international organizations. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Beijing platform for action included a clause related to violence against women and shed light on the correlation between violence and inequality and the obstacles created by violence against women and their impact on development and peace. The mission statement asserted that women and girls in all societies are subject to various degrees of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse that cuts across boundaries of income, class, and culture and that the low social and economic status of women can be both a cause and a consequence of acts of violence against them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Three contexts for the committal of acts of violence were identified:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Acts of physical, sexual and psychological violence that take place inside the family, including beating, the sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry- related acts of violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditions that are harmful to women, in addition to acts of violence against single women and acts of violence related to exploitation;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Acts of physical, sexual, psychological violence that occur within the community, including rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and intimidation at the workplace, in educational institutions and elsewhere, in addition to the traffic of women and forced prostitution;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Physical, sexual, and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the state, wherever it occurs.<\/span><\/span>20<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The importance of the inclusion in the Beijing declaration and platform for action of violence against women as an obstacle to equality is a general acknowledgment that what had so far been achieved in the area of women\u2019s rights through securing basic needs such as education, employment and health is not enough and that other strategic needs (Caroline Moser) are crucial. It is not enough to educate agirl. We need to make sure that her education and employment meet her gender needs and contributes to the improvement of her position as an essential partner who plays with a role that is equal to the role of a man in the design, planning, and implementation of policies. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    The Fourth Women\u2019s Conference held in Beijing in 1995 had a significant impact on raising awareness regarding the phenomenon of violence against women worldwide. The studies cited in the 1995 Human Development Report show that “a third of women in Barbados,<\/span><\/span> Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and the United States reported being sexually abused during their childhood or adolescence.\u201d<\/span><\/span>21<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>“. The report adds that violence against women is also revealed by the incidence of rape. It indicates that the studies conducted in Canada, New Zealand and the United states showed that one out of six women was raped at least once during her lifetime”<\/span><\/span>22<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup> . <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    As a result of this, the United Nations committee established Unifem and in order for this center to work independently in a way that is beneficial for women and in order to implement the Beijing Platform for Action, the United Nations established the Development Fund for Women and it became UNIFEM\u2019s responsibility to monitor the status of women, design projects for the elimination of discrimination against them, and implement the measures that allow her to be a fully capable person with the same human rights as a<\/span><\/span> man. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The center issued many reports the most important of which is the report on eliminating violence against women prepared by the United Nations Development Fund for Women. The report states that violence against women represents the most widespread form of human rights violation which occurs every day and in every country and region regardless of income or level of development. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    The report lists the obstacles that prevent the elimination of violence: insufficient violence-related data and the sociocultural attitudes that permit discrimination and inequality which expose women and girls to all forms of violence such as physical, sexual and psychological violence within the family, including the beating and sexual abuse of girls in their homes dowry-related violence and marital rape.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Thus. the Beijing declaration and platform for action had a profound impact on the attitude of International organizations toward the phenomenon of violence and its status as a priority. In Lebanon, the adoption of this issue by United Nations organizations encouraged the inclusion of anti-violence speech in the plans and programs of women\u2019s organizations. It also contributed to the establishment of specialized organizations and associations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    These organizations worked sometimes separately and sometimes collaboratively on exposing the mechanisms of discrimination against women, with violence being a core interest for some and a partial interest for others.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    In spite of this, violence against women remains undisclosed, and its disclosure requires exceptional courage. Studies about violence are few and far between. and violence against women remains a subject for national and international reports which are themselves based on diverse impressions and partial reports prepared by organizations that receive complaints through hot lines and consequently cannot give a realistic picture of violence, its forms, patterns and causes. There may be a few analytical studies here or there or some journalistic commentary on cases reported by the media; however, any methodological studies that attempt to lay the basis for a public position against domestic violence which has become the primary cause behind the break up of families and the misery of their members have yet to be conducted. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    This is how the idea emerged for conducting this comprehensive and in-depth study on marital violence in the Lebanese community.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    2.3. The Study<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    When the Lebanese Democratic Women\u2019s Gathering adopted the project of eliminating violence against women, it was expressing its initial focus which has always been to improve the status of women, empower her and eliminate the obstacles that stand in the way of her progress in every field. The current phase started with the establishment of a hotline to receive complaints and assist the victimis. Despite the progress achieved so far by RDFL and other organizations, all the reports, including the 4<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup> Arab Human Development report which was dedicated to women, and the Secretary General\u2019s 2007 report, consider that one of the principal tools in the struggle against violence is the publication of reports and analytical studies that shed light on the problem of violence against women in Lebanon and make it accessible to human rights and woman\u2019s rights advocates. <\/span><\/p>\n

    RDFL\u2019s awareness this issue began early on. Thus, two studies were undertaken by Caroline Succar., The first study, entitled\u201d Abused \u2026. Because they are Women\u201d, was performed in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and covered the files of 295 victimized women that resorted to RDFL offices in all the Mohafazats<\/span>. These cases were monitored and documented over a two-year period (2004-2005). The results indicated that these women belong to a variety of social segments and religious sects. Their testimonies include the form of violence perpetrated against them, their reactions to that violence and the attitudes of people in their communities. The study focused on identifying the different forms of violence, its impact on the victims and their families, and the type of assistance offered to these female \u201cvictims of domestic abuse.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    The second study was exploratory in nature. It attempted to review a number of files that belonged to the gathering and to other organizations that also have hotlines and provide social and psychological assistance to victims of violence. The sample consisted of 500 files collected from three organizations: the Lebanese Democratic <\/span><\/span>Women\u2019s Gathering,<\/span> the Lebanese Association for the Elimination of Violence against Women, <\/span><\/span>, and the Mary & Martha Association.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The study tackled three topics: <\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      Identifying the forms and patterns of violence. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      Identifying the different approaches used by women to confront violence.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    3. \n

      Identifying the techniques and methods used by these organizations to treat and follow up these cases. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      However, this study and the valuable information it generated failed to answer the important questions that are of concern to us today and form the theoretical background for this study. These questions are: How prevalent is violence in Lebanon? What are the major forms of violence? What are the types of violence? What are its causes? How do we confront it? What tools and methods should be used? How do we protect victimized women? How do we protect those who defend them? What is the role of the general culture? What is the role of religion? What is the role of the law? In addition to other questions that are necessary if we are to learn the truth about violence against women in the Lebanese society. <\/span><\/p>\n

      2.3.1. The Study Obstacles <\/span><\/p>\n

      The achievement of all those objectives was next to impossible; the first obstacle was selecting the sample and having access to the subjects. The issue of violence against women remains taboo and cases of assault against women including battery, mutilation, and murder do not constitute a shock to the social conscience. Women are seen as private property of men and their lives are surrounded by a number of traditions, customs, and prohibitions that provide justification to the many forms of violence. Some see it as religiously justified because it is tied to the concept of obedience to one\u2019s legal guardian. Others see it as a necessary evil to correct the crookedness that results from traditions being corrupted by modernisation which they reject. In any case, violence against women continues to be viewed as normal under the educational system that prevails in Lebanese society.<\/span>23<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n

      Thus, all our goals were subordinated to the achievement of the main objective of the study. Modifications were limited to methodological issues: if a quantitative survey is made impossible by the public attitude of concealing violence, interviews allow us to use the \u201cconfidences\u201d made by women to the organizations that work on the issue of violence. However, these testimonies were supplemented with questions pertaining to women\u2019s opinions on themselves and others and their diverse views on the best methods of eliminating violence from Lebanon\u2019s society, its educational system, and its moral code and social behaviors. This methodology allowed us to make use of the available testimonies and to supplement them by re- interviewing the same women. <\/span><\/p>\n

      2.3.2. The Selection of the sample<\/span><\/p>\n

      Selecting the sample was not an easy task: a random sample is made impossible by the culture of silence that prevails over family relations. We therefore had to resort to the sample that was in our hands. However, the major research decisions were not the result of introspection on our part: our decision was based on discussions that were held in a focus group of researchers and experts on the issue of violence against women. Therefore, a deliberate sample was the only available choice, but who will the sample include and how do we get access to the subjects?. <\/span><\/p>\n

      The important documentation effort undertaken by RDFL played a significant role. After reviewing those interviews, we decided that they could act as a starting point toward constituting a sample, after reviewing the interviews and completing them with the information and answers that were deemed necessary. This decision was made based on the variables that were seen as important for the study. Those variables include age which was defined between 18 and 45 years, education which includes three categories, employment, and religious identity. <\/span><\/p>\n

      The sample covered all the regions while maintaining the geographic distribution in Lebanon. The final sample was distributed as follows: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Mohafazat<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nNorth<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nBekaa<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nMount Lebanon<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nBeirut<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nSouth<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nNabatie<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Caza<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nBatroun<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nBaalbeck<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nKisirwan<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nAchrafieh<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nJezzine<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nNabatie<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Dinnieh<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nHermel<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nMetn<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nRas Beirut<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nSaida<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nMarjayoun<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Zgharta<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nWest Bekaa<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nJbeil<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nMazraa<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nZahrani<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nBint Jbeil<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Akkar<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nRachaya<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nBaabda<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nMouseitbeh<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nSour<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nHasbaya<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Bcharre<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nZahle<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nAley<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Koura<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nChouf<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Tripoli<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Number of Questionnaires by Mohafazat <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n48<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n48<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n48<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n60<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n48<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n48<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      Beirut is the only Mohafazat with a sample size of 60 while each of the other Mohafazat was allocated 48. This was done because of the higher diversity found in the capital. <\/span><\/p>\n

      It is noteworthy that this combined questionnaire\/interview methodology produced good quality and rich results and encouraged the victims to talk and reveal their suffering, and disclose sensitive and informative details making every case worthy of being a project by itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Once the questionnaires were completed, they were checked and controlled. All the missing and ambiguous information was reviewed and any interviews that failed to meet the requirements were repeated. <\/span><\/p>\n

      The selection was done based on the religious identity of the abused wife, and the largest number was more or less equally divided between Christians and Moslems. There were 136 Christians (Maronite, Greek Orthodox, and Protestant) , 131 Moslems (Sunni & Shiite), and 33 Druze.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The Wife\u2019s Religious Identity<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      <\/td>\n\n

      Frequency<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Percent<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Valid Percent<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Cumulative Percent<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Maronite<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      70<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      23.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      23.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      23.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Greek Orthodox<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      8<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      2.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      2.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      26<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Greek Catholic<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      1.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      1.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      27.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Shiite<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      60<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      20<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      20<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      47.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Sunni<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      71<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      23.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      23.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      71.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Druze<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      33<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      11<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      11<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      82.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Protestant<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      82.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Syrian Catholic<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      83.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Armenian Orthodox<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      84<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Syrrean Orthodox<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      84.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Christian<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      27<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      93.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Catholic<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      95.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Armenian<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      95.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Evangelical<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      96<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Syrian<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      96.3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Greek Orthodox <\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      11<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      3.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      3.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Total<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      300<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The four largest religious sects were: Sunni (23.7%), Maronite (23.3%), Shiite (20%), and Druze (9%). <\/span><\/p>\n

      Since the objective of the study is to observe and detect domestic abuse, most of the women were married (71.3%); 26.3% were divorced and 2% were single.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Social Status<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      \u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\n

      Frequency<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Valid Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Cumulative Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Married<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      214<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      71.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      71.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      71.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Divorced or Separated<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      79<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      26.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      26.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      97.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Single<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      6<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      99.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      No answer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Total<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      300<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Regarding the educational level, the percentage of victims with college education was 27.3% and illiterate women represented the smallest group (4.7%). <\/span><\/p>\n

      The Woman\u2019s Educational level <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      \u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\n

      Frequency<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Valid Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Cumulative Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      <\/a><\/a><\/a> Illiterate<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      14<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      4.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      4.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      4.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Primary<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      42<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      14<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      14<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      18.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Intermediate<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      83<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      27.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      27.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      46.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Secondary<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      78<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      26<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      26<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      72.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      \n

      University<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      82<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      27.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      27.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      99.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      No answer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Total<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      300<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Since the common hypothesis is that the husband\u2019s educational level affects the levels, <\/span>forms and patterns of violence, we asked about the educational level of the husband. It is noteworthy that the percentage of college-educated men was 25%, i.e. less than the percentage of women. Similarly, the percentage of men with intermediate education was only 25% while illiterate men outnumbered illiterate women.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The Man\u2019s Educational level <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      \u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\n

      Frequency<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Valid Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Cumulative Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Illiterate<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      15<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Primary<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      66<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      22<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      22<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      27<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Intermediate<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      75<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      25<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      25<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      52<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Secondary<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      66<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      22<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      22<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      74<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      \n

      University<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      77<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      25.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      25.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      99.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      No answer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Total<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      300<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

       <\/p>\n

      As for the age of marriage among women, the highest percentage was for the 18\u201325 category (60%). The percentage for the below 18 category was 22.3% which is a high percentage if we consider the educational level of both women and men <\/span><\/p>\n

      Age of marriage<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      \u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\n

      Frequency<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Valid Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Cumulative Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Less than 18 yrs<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      67<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      22.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      22.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      22.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      18 – 25 yrs<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      180<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      60<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      60<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      82.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      26 yrs <\/b><\/span><\/span>and above<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      49<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      16.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      16.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      98.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Inapplicable<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      1<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      0.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      99<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      No answer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      1<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      1<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Total<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      300<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

       <\/p>\n

      How were women affected by these variables? Did they have an effect on domestic violence? <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      This study has the difficult and sensistive task of establishing a database on violence, its forms, patterns, causes and roots in order to build a comprehensive project for eradicating violence that goes beyond the enactment of laws<\/span><\/span> that provide better protection to women, and attempts at the same time to affect changes in the minds of women and in the minds of society that conform to the changes taking place in women\u2019s abilities and their self-awareness. <\/span><\/p>\n

      The difficulties that arose from time to time as a result of fundamental variables that we think are critical in the Lebanese case like religious identity for instance, and the refusal to talk by a few women who belong to a specific sect were overcome through personal relations, and through offering full protection to the respondent and surrounding her with sufficient attention. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      In conclusion, this study is the result of a collaborative effort by a large group of individuals: the surveyors who conducted the interviews, the assistants who analyzed the interviews and coded the answers, the assistants who produced the tables and generated the results, and last but not least the researcher Caroline Salibi who played the biggest role in selecting the subject of the study, selecting the sample, developing the questionnaire, training the surveyors, supervising all the interviews, and controlling the questionnaires to make sure they included all the necessary information. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      My deepest gratitude goes to all of them but I alone take responsibility for the supervision and the implementation of this study. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Section Two<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Analysis of the interviews<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      The interviews focus on important variables that are closely linked to various social segments. For example, age is a very important variable in the interviews we conducted because it is tied to the acceptance or the rejection of modern values in our Lebanese society, values that focus in principle on the concept of equality. It is worth noting that the group that is most affected by violence in the sample consists of women who are young, have a high educational level, and work. How do those variables intersect and to what extent do they affect the attitudes of women and men toward violence?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Education is a major indicator of awareness for both women and men. This variable is <\/span><\/span>organically<\/span><\/span> linked to income because, in our time, access to the labor market and the classification of fields of employment and income levels are closely linked to the educational level. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      In Lebanon, where the public culture intersects with the subcultures generated by the religious and confessional diversity,, religious identity becomes crucial to the interaction of other variables like employment and education which have become basic needs for both men and women. There may be no need to point out that educational opportunities have become available to women and the opening of branches for the Lebanese University and other universities during the war facilitated the access of young women to higher education. This is a factor that must be included in the assessment of the awareness of violence and its forms and patterns that was revealed in interviews with young women.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Although studies tend to consider that these variables do not have a profound impact on the level of violence, acquiring an education and entering the labor market do affect a woman\u2019s personality, her ability to make decisions, and the way she deals with orders and prohibitions. This will in turn affect her resistance to domestic violence and it will significantly impact her awareness of violence and her reaction to it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      1. How is this reflected in the interviews?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      In their answer to the decisive question, how did you make the decision to get married, 63% of women reported that it was a free choice. Even though freedom here may mean choosing based on the available circumstances (escaping loneliness, escaping parental domination, escaping spinsterhood \u2026), this assertion of free choice points to a very important conclusion which is that the \u201c<\/span><\/span>ideological spoliation<\/span><\/span>\u201d discussed by Mustapha Hijazi, i.e. the negative view of marriage as a necessity in Lebanese society remains prevalent in the Lebanese thought processes. According to a number of respondents, their acceptance of the first marriage proposal was a free choice based on personal circumstances: they did not have college education or employment and therefore they saw marriage as an opportunity to achieve their independence. Arranged marriage whose prevalence reached 28% was not imposed by force in the opinions of some of the women but reflected a logical response to the traditions, customs and norms (a rich man, a cousin\u2026)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      The percentage of actual forced marriage did not exceed 1%, a low percentage that does not mean that women are close to being able to make the decisions that determine their lives but may indicate that women start adapting their behaviors to traditions and customs very early in their lives. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      It is sufficient to read the confessions made by women when asked about violence to realize that free choice does not extend to divorce for instance or to fighting violence and that the \u2018free choice\u2019 made early in life was only an escape strategy justified and approved by the .parents. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Discussing the meaning of \u201cfree choice\u201d and its intersection with domestic violence raises important questions about the circumstances that surround the family life of men and women in Lebanon. By circumstances, we mean the intersection of variables like education, employment and income, i.e. the main variables that contribute to a woman\u2019s independence and the strengthening of her position in the family. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      2. Is this what happened? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      The figures show that 145 women who represent 48.3% of the sample are employed and 51.7% are unemployed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n
      \u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\n

      Frequency<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Valid Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Cumulative Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Employed<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      145<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      48.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      48.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      48.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Unemployed<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      155<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      51.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      51.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Total<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n\n

      300<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

       <\/p>\n

      With reference to a question about the reasons that drove them to work, the answers of a majority of the educated women stressed the concept of economic independence, which is synonymous to freedom and equality, and for some women it was also related to the idea of self-actualization. However, the position that was most commonly stated by the interviewed women whether or not they were college educated was to reject \u2018the restriction of their role to \u201chousework and attending to children.\u201d All the women expressed their respect for work and considered it as a means of escaping the sphere of dependence and marginalization. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      This helps to explain the recurrent answers given by women who do not work not because they refuse to but because of their husbands\u2019 refusal and their control over their wives\u2019 decision-making ability, or because of the absence of work opportunities that are compatible with their roles as wives who are responsible for taking care of their families. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Few were those who stated that they did not want to work and preferred the comfort of staying at home. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      The answers of the sample regarding the reasons that drove the respondents to work belong to three major categories: improving their standard of living, being their family\u2019s main breadwinners, self-actualization. Those who work to improve their standard of living represented 26.3% of the sample while the percentage of those who work because they have to, being their family\u2019s main breadwinners, was 20.6%, a number that corresponds to the percentage of female-headed households mentioned in Lebanon\u2019s Living conditions study. As for those who talked about work as a means of self-actualization and a way to increase their personal freedom, their percentage reached 24.3%, a rate that coincides in our opinion with the rate of female enrolment in higher education and that also confirms the importance of self-awareness and the impact of education on the creation of this self-awareness. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      3. The nature of the relationship between the spouses: how is it defined, who defines it, and does it contribute to drawing the boundaries of violence, its forms and its patterns?<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Sociologists agree that patriarchal authority and the<\/span><\/span> rules and regulations that are in effect in Arab communities are responsible for the imbalanced relationship between leader and follower, especially between man and woman and that this imbalance is a major cause of dysfunction in social and political relations. For this reason, any analysis of violence has to take into consideration the relationship to power and power here comes in a global sense that encompasses the various types of power that pervade the social, economic and political spheres. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Out of this relationship to power comes violence in its various forms and patterns:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \n

        In practice\/ physically\/ visibly in the case of women who have no power by upholding the traditional image of a woman who is subservient to a man and dependent on him, deprived of any means that could help her to acquire power , i.e. the power of education, the power of work, the power of wealth. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \n
        1. \n

          Symbolically\/ morally\/ invisibly when women are close to having power where power relations change and women are relatively independent as a result of having or being close to acquire the power of education, work, or wealth<\/span><\/span>24<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            \n
          1. \n

            Being close to acquiring power is akin to having power to some extent and it causes a change in the forms and patterns of violence without causing any significant change in the relationship between man and woman<\/span><\/span>25<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/sup> because this kind of change requires other factors that are tied to a large extent to structural social changes that create a social awareness of women\u2019s problems and a social and political will to change her position in society.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            In response to a question about the nature of the marital relationship , most answers varied between \u201ctense\u201d and \u201cviolent\u201d. The respondents described the sources of tension as follows: life burdens (work-related stress, financial strain), a monopoly over family-related decisions (financial decisions, moving decisions, children\u2019s education, mortgage of property). Also among the causes were jealousy and suspicion and interference by extended family. Some respondents also mentioned alcoholism and gambling.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

            When asked about the forms of tension and how it is expressed, the respondents mentioned insults, cursing, continuous arguing, and breaking items around the house as visible forms of violence that turn into symbolic violence including deserting the conjugal bed and exercising psychological control over the wife by constantly making her feel inferior. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

            As for \u201cviolent\u201d relationships, the respondents described them to include insulting language (I picked you off the street), beating \u201che strikes me wherever his hand can reach\u201d one woman said , humiliations in front of the children, severe beating that lands the wife in a hospital including burning with coals, whipping that results in loss of consciousness, beating that leads to paralysis or abortion, and attempted murder using knives or guns). <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

            As for the reasons behind this violence, the respondents try to explain it as an extreme consequence of the same conditions that create tense relations like addiction, adultery, and social pressures related to mixed marriage.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

            Nature of the marital relationship <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
            <\/td>\n\n

            Frequency<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            Valid Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            Cumulative Percent<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

            Calm<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

            2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            0.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            0.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            0.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

            Tense<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

            117<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            39<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            39<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            39.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

            Violent<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

            39<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            13<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            13<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            52.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

            Calm & tense<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

            18<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            6<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            6<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            58.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

            Calm & violent<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

            2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            0.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            0.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            59.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

            Tense and violent<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

            117<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            39<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            39<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            98.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

            Calm, tense, and violent<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n\n

            5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            1.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            1.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

            \n

            Total<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            300<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		\n

            100<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

            		<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

            A detailed discussion of the forms and types of violence revealed that the percentage of those who were subjected to verbal violence reached 87% while the percentage of those who were exposed to physical violence reached 68.3%. Verbal violence was defined by the respondents to include: <\/span><\/p>\n