Abdul Ilah Saati Okaz Hanan, a young woman, sets herself on fire because she was a victim of Adl (prevention from marriage) and constant physical and verbal abuse by her brother and uncle. A seven-year-old boy is rushed to the hospital suffering from internal bleeding caused by a kick to his stomach by his father. The young boy Rakan, whose plight was highlighted by all media outlets, was repeatedly beaten and scalded with hot water. A woman, badly beaten by her husband, was rushed to the hospital. Her condition was so bad that she stayed in the intensive care unit for days. When she was cured, she was given back to her husband who was her guardian. This is handing over the prey back to the predator. In many cases, an abused woman may not find a place to go to so she will be forced to go back to her tormentor. In other cases, husbands may bring the women back home by blackmailing; not allowing her to see her children again if she does not come home. She returns back to him only to receive more persecution and abuse. Domestic violence has increased exponentially during the past few years. The General Department for Social Protection said there were 1,049 cases of domestic violence last year. The Justice Ministry said the general courts received a total of 454 cases of domestic violence in the same period. I believe these figures represent only a few actual cases because most of the victims would either avoid going to courts or would not know how to approach them. People were overjoyed with the Cabinet's approval of the law against domestic violence. The move reflects the determination of the government to preserve the safety, security and dignity of its citizens. The long overdue law is a monumental move to confront this evil phenomenon, which is rejected by Islam and all other divine religions. The law encourages everyone to contribute to the fight against this hateful phenomenon by informing the concerned authorities about it. What we are looking forward to now is the issuance of an execution chart that will cover all the aspects of domestic violence so as to realize the objectives behind the law. There is another aspect in the issue and that is the courts that take years to consider cases of domestic violence. During this long time the predicament of the abused will further deepen and the family rift will further widen. I think it is high time now we establish special family affairs courts to hear all family issues including domestic violence. There should also be a massive awareness campaign against family violence in the newspapers and the social media networking tools. The campaign should state that domestic violence is totally forbidden by Islam and is against all forms of human rights. The campaign should also be promoted in schools, universities and mosques.
