Most of Bahrain’s domestic abuse victims remain silent

Manama: Majority of the domestic abuse victims do not reach out for help, to protect their reputation, a survey has revealed.

A study conducted by Bahrain Youth Society’s Naseem Initiative, in partnership with Tafawuq Centre for Women and Gender, derived the findings after interacting with 300 women from across Bahrain.

The survey was part of a campaign titled “We respect her,” which aims to empower women.

Seventy-eight per cent of those surveyed reported to having experienced one or more forms of domestic abuse. 

“We asked 13 questions with multiple choice answers, and the respondents chose the answer they agreed with the most. Average age of the respondents was 33,” said Naseem Initiative’s Enas Al Fardhan.

“Fifty-seven per cent were  holders of bachelors degree and 25pc were high-school graduates. Half of them were working or had a source of income while the other half were housewives or students. Seventy-one per cent of the victims said their husband was the abuser, 9pc said father, another 9pc stated other relatives, 6pc named brother and the rest miscellaneous,” she said.

“The most common form of abuse, which accounted for 85pc, was emotional abuse, where they felt humiliated or belittled. About 70pc also reported verbal abuse. Most worrying, 51pc reported physical abuse and 19pc said they were abused sexually,” she added. Fardhan said, although women face multiple forms of abuse, less than half of them spoke out. “We found that 52pc of the victims did not take any action. Forty-eight per cent  reached out to their parents while only 16pc contacted centres against domestic violence.”

She said the women choose to keep their stories to themselves for fear of social backlash, and to protect their reputation.