(http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&article=132504&d=6&m=2&y=2010)

Not that similar problems don’t exist elsewhere, but do you think maybe the level of it in your country has something to do with the fact that your organized state religion treats women as chattel only slightly better than farm animals might have something to do with it?

Why some women suffer in silence Muneera Al-Matrouk | Arab News

JEDDAH: Rather than standing up to violent husbands, many women who are in abusive relationships opt to suffer in silence, as they have no one to turn to.In fact, most cases of domestic violence go unreported as women feel taking a beating is easier than being thrown on to the street with no one to turn to. Muna’s husband often beats her and throws her out on to the street. She, nevertheless, refuses to complain. Muna, who is from Madinah, is from a tribal background. “Violence is normal in my family; I’ve seen my dad beat my mother … when I tell my mother what I’m going through, she tells me to be patient,” said Muna. “It is against our family tradition to complain against a family member. If we’re beaten up, even innocently, then we’re expected to stay quiet,” she said, adding that at times her husband beats her up for no reason at all. “He sometimes unleashes his anger on me when he’s frustrated,” she said. Azizia, a mother of five, describes her husband as a volcano ready to explode any time. “I prefer to suffer in silence simply because I have nowhere to go. Where would I go if I complained to the police that my husband beats me?” she said. “The least I can do is to try not to upset him. I have two options and both are harsh. One is to suffer in silence and the second is to leave home. But where would I go?” she said. Fatima Muhammad’s neighbor is regularly beaten up by her husband who also throws her out of their apartment. One night, she heard a loud knock on her front door and found her neighbor standing on her doorstep. “When I opened the door, I was surprised to see my neighbor asking for help. Her husband, who is an alcoholic, had beaten her up and kicked her out. He didn’t even give her time to properly dress, she was still in her night dress,” she said. Her neighbor refuses to complain because her husband is a relative. “She feels she cannot leave her husband because they have children. She says that if she were to leave, then who would take care of her children and that in the least when she is there her husband unleashes his anger on her and not them,” she added. Dr. Sami Al-Humaidah, a psychiatrist and member of the Civil Protection Committee, said recent studies show that 10 percent of those who abuse their wives are drug addicts. “Some abusers suffer from mental illness … abusers are unable to control their thought processes and resort to violence,” he said. He explained that a special committee formed by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Makkah Municipality has been set up to investigate cases of domestic violence. “A system is in place to inform the committee when a victim of domestic violence arrives in hospital,” he said. “The committee has been successful in tackling domestic abuse and setting up ways in which families can deal with violent members through guidance, counseling and various forms of mental, cognitive and behavioral treatment,” he said. “The real problem of violence is the fact that those who are abused remain silent on account of age old customs and traditions,” he said, adding that this is the root cause of abuse — “the abuse of the weak by the strong.” “There are women’s shelters, established by the Ministry of Social Affairs, where women can get help. The cases of people at these shelters are studied and solutions are sought to end their sorrowful situation,” he said. Dr. Abdullah Al-Sulami, owner of a legal consultant office that deals with family issues, said the “reasons why women remain silent on the issue of violence are many and varied.” “The main probable reason is culture and society, which sees male power as something that should not be objected to. Victims sometimes feel that theirchildren or their elderly parents may be troubled if they were to stand up for their rights and draw attention to their suffering. This is another reason why women suffer in silence. They fear being ostracized,” he said. Al-Sulami added that some women are ignorant of their rights and that perhaps the biggest reason for the violence is the absence of a deterrent and failure to implement laws and penalize abusers.

(Editor’s note: Some names of people mentioned in this article have been changed to protect their identities.)