http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=81317&d=27&m=4&y=2006&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom
Thursday, 27, April, 2006 (29, Rabi` al-Awwal, 1427)
Domestic Violence Against Men Increasing: NSHR
Arab News
JEDDAH, 27 April 2006 - The National Society for Human Rights
(NSHR) has sounded an alarm bell about the increasing instances of domestic
violence against men being reported in the Kingdom.
An increasing number of men have been complaining about their
wives beating them up or pouring boiling oil on them, Al-Watan newspaper
reported yesterday.
Al-Jawhara Al-Angari, chairperson of the family committee of
the NSHR, said in a statement to the media that though the number of the cases
of violence against men are fewer compared to violence against women and
children, the reports of women torturing husbands both physically and mentally
are on the increase. In some cases it's the sons threatening their fathers.
Al-Angari attributed the tendency among women to be cruel
against their men to such factors as a forceful personality, the age
difference, marriages in which men seek financial dependence on women and the
couple being a total mismatch. Instances where sons abuse their fathers are
often linked to drug abuse.
While several men agree that they witness a notable increase
in violent tendencies in women, a young woman said to Al-Watan that her healthy
aunt used to exploit the advanced age of her uncle to pounce on him and beat
him up on a regular basis.
"Once she broke one of his teeth and on another occasion she
broke his fingers. Her aunt's attacks eventually injured his spinal column,"
the young woman recalled.
"Some of my friends are afraid to go home," said Hassan
Al-Asiri, a government employee. "Instead they prefer to stay in some hotels
unknown to their wives, presumably to escape violence."
Saeed Al-Amri, a scholar, told the paper that women who abuse
their husbands take advantage of the men's weaknesses.
"Some women do not know the basic principles of a married
life, particularly the working women who exploit their husbands' poverty or
weak personality," said Al-Amri. "Men often keep quiet about the brutal
behavior of their wives, and even their illicit relationship with other men,
because they do not want their family to break up and children become homeless."
Abdullah Al-Humaid, director of endowments, call and guidance
in the Asir region, said, "Islam calls upon all believers to build their
families on a strong foundation. It designates man as the family's supporter.
Man is responsible for the family expenses and holding the unit together.
Therefore he should possess a strong personality with commonsense and he should
never create a situation in which a woman is allowed to dominate him. It does
not mean that he should be rough and brutal in treating his wife. The
relationship should always be seasoned with wisdom, patience and rationality."
Muhammad Al-Harbi, director general of the social protection
department at the Ministry of Social Affairs in Riyadh, said: "Of course there
are several instances of violence against men in our society, but they are not
reported and statistics about them are virtually nil. In fact the department
has not received any complaint of female violence."
Al-Harbi attributed the absence of complaints to a number of
reasons, such as a social sense of honor that considers such complaining a slur
on the male image.
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