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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Wife-beating 'common in younger generation' |
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| jaihoon |
| 08/13/03 at 03:54:52 |
| Wife-beating 'common in younger generation' Dubai |By Mona Al Khanjare, Staff Reporter | 13-08-2003 Print friendly format | Email to Friend Wife beating is a common problem among the younger generation in the UAE, according to data issued by Dubai Courts yesterday. Domestic abuse shows no signs of slowing down among the 25-35 year-old age group. And psychologists say there could even be more incidents which remain unreported because of the nature of society and tradition. But while some have blamed alcoholism or poor attitudes instilled since childhood, a Dubai social worker has claimed that the media and the filmdom too is responsible for such incidents. Khalifa Al Muhrazi, who works in the Family Relations Section of Dubai Courts, said: "These days movies are full of action, fighting and discrimination. These can indirectly rouse an instinct of violence among people, and in some cases men use this instinct against women." He went on to claim that wife-beating is common throughout the world "among all religions, nationalities, and cultures". However, he admitted that other contributory factors were the negative attitudes and influences instilled during an abuser's upbringing. "Some husbands have been negatively raised since childhood. "It can cause a man to abuse his wife for the slightest reasons - even if she is late in cooking the food, if the children are noisy, or if his football team loses a match." He added: "His behaviour might also be affected by the fact that he is not used to living without the extended family. Some men believe wife-beating makes them a more macho person and it will make her behave better." No comparative statistics on domestic abuse have ever been produced for the GCC countries. However studies in the UAE have shown that living standards can play a key role as some low-income men abuse their wives when they feel inadequate about their earnings. Other frequent causes include alcoholism or drug addiction. Mohammed Al Hammadi, a psychology specialist at Dubai Central Jail, said the issue is common among residents in the country aged between 25 to 35, both nationals and expatriates. "I do not deny the existence of this problem in the society. But it's not a new phenomenon," he said. "The causes of wife abuse varies. Men who are addicted to alcohol or drugs are often the worst abusers because they are not fully aware of their behaviour. "Some cases do not reach the court because of the nature of our culture and tradition. Such cases may be solved by the family males like the father, the uncle, the brothers ... tradition plays a key role in this issue. Some women will only seek the court when the situation gets very bad." The punishments for domestic abuse can vary greatly. In some cases the issue goes unpunished, while in other cases husbands can be sentenced to six months in jail. The court data mentioned that domestic abuse by 'uneducated' husbands was more than three times as high as it was among 'educated' married men. Psychologists world over maintain that contrary to popular belief, spousal abuse does not comprise isolated acts of "conflict tactics" in a vacuum. They say there is a dynamic in the relationship in which one of the parties is the party abused, disadvantaged and injured and 95 per cent of the time, this is the woman. |
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