VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN

THE

MIDDLE EAST & NORTH

AFRICA
REGIONOF THE WORLD BANK

HEALTH CARE CHALLENGES, STRENGTHS, & STRATEGIES

MIDDLE EAST
Jordan
Over 7 million people
Over 2 million are refugees of the war torn Middle East

Upper middle income, GNP 11660; 82.7% reside in urban settings

(WHO, 2015)

Palestine

political instability & aggression since creation of Israel in 1948

Constant state of crisis affecting all aspects of life

Before Iraq war;34,000 Palestinian refugees living in Iraq. During the

war, many were killed or fled to neighboring Jordan and Syria.
Iraq
Funding for education has dwindled over the last few decades due to
multiple conflicts, both internal and external.
Lacks a stable economy and infrastructure.

Near-constant conflict for the last decade and a half between the
U.S. invasion and resurgence of ISIS.
Refugees fleeing conflict in Iraq are vulnerable to family dysfunction.
Those still living in Iraq are subject to the fluctuation of stability in oil
prices, economy, and conflict.
VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN
gender based violence resulting in
Palestine: Precarious
Physical, sexual, or psychological harm living conditions
to women & girls resulting from 9 years
of blockade, recurring
Includes early marriage, honor crimes, &
violent escalation of
deprivation of inheritance rights (United Nations
conflict, and large
Childrens Fund, 2009)
scale destruction and
displacement, have
Domestic exacerbated pre-
Violence existing
vulnerabilities, shaken
violence social fabric and
perpetrated increased tensions
against women leading to higher
by a relative- incidence of gender-
most often male based violence.
(UNwomen.org)

Gender is Cultural
 VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN
Social Implications
Physical & Psychological Health Intergenerational
Implications transference of violence
Injuries, disability, & homicide

Unwanted pregnancy or miscarriage Financial Implications

Gynecological problems- STDs, chronic pelvic Direct Costs
inflammatory disease, UTI
Medical expenses
Stress related conditions- headaches & GI
Legal expenses
disturbances , asthma
Housing & Social
Depression, fear, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating
Services funding
& behavioral disorders, PTSD
Self harm behaviors & suicide
Indirect costs
(UNICEF, 2000)
Productivity of

COUNTING THE COSTS perpetrator & victim

Aggregated GDP h
ttp://palestine.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/2016/03/path-
to-justice#sthash.Z1VEwyMb.dpuf
 GENDER
INEQUALITY UN Gender
Legal Inequality Index
(>1 indicates inequality) (Parvaz,
2016)
Males have increased rights
in nationality issues, divorce & guardianship, & Kurdistan region: 0.41
inheritance (United Nations Childrens Fund, 2009) Iraq: 0.55
Jordan: 0.47
Males have increased legal protection Palestine: no data
Leniency for attack or murder of a female available
relative who has committed adultery Turkey: 0.36
Diversion of rape charges for men who marry
Lebanon: 0.38
United States: 0.28
their victims
Only male relatives allowed to file incest * "A composite measure reflecting
charges on behalf of minors inequality in achievement between
women and men in three
http://www.fmreview.org/sites/fmr/files/FMRdownloads/en/FMRpdfs/FMR27/37.pdf dimensions: reproductive health,
empowerment and the labour
market," (UNDP, 2014).
There are no specific laws to protect women
against domestic/sexual violence (UNwomen.org)
 GENDER
INEQUALITY In Palestine
Economic females are
THE MOST
females are often financially dependent on males
poverty prone
Females have limited employment opportunities group
In developing regions, up to 95 percent of womens High number of
employment is informal, in jobs that are unprotected female head of
by labor laws and lack social protection. (UNwomen.org)
single households
due to
Labor Participation of females over 15 male death &
years imprisonment

Jordan 16%
Iraq 15%
Palestine no data
US 56%
PREDICTIVE FACTOR CULTURAL & SOCIAL
NORMS
gender norms assign certain roles, restrictions, & values to
females
Palestinian laws & Jordan Iraq
culture give menthe women who believe "We don't accept a woman
right of ownership over a husband is in this society who makes
their wives.(Womens Legal justified in a complaint against men -
Counseling Center, Zainab Al-Ghneimi)
41% of women feel hitting/beating his they are not accepted
violence is justified if the wife under certain back." -Ramziya
Zana,director of the Gender
circumstances(UNICEF,
woman leaves home 2009) Studies and Information
without notifying her 90% of females Organisation(Parvaz, 2016).
husband aged 15-49 years
74% of women feel that Destruction of infrastructure
91% of females has increased burden of
violence was justified if
aged 15-19 years domestic expectations of
she neglected her
women (Hussein & Jawahari,
children. against women is a
Violence 2008).
manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men & women, which
have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men & to the
prevention of the full advancement of women...
The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, General Assembly Resolution, December 1993 (UNICEF, 2000)
CULTURAL & SOCIAL NORMS
Early Marriage
Jordan
13% of all registered marriages for Jordanians are early
marriages
17% for the poorest in the population
18% for Syrian refugees (UNICEF, 2012)

Palestine
Average age of marriage is 19 years old

Each year, one out of 10 teens 15 to 19 years old, give birth

http://www.itcoop-jer.org/sites/default/files/right_sidebar/Factsheet%20GBV_Palestine%20
2015_WELOD%20PROGRAMME_nuovo%20logo.pdf

Iraq
Average age of marriage is 23 years old(Holt, 2015).

22% of marriages take place before 18 (Iraqi law requires both

parties to be 18).
A 2014 proposed law would have lowered the marriage age for
girls to 9it did not pass.
CULTURAL & SOCIAL NORMS Crimes that
Homicide Honor Crimes dishonor the
family-
Jordan
On the rise alleged adultery
premarital
17 killings for all of 2015
relationships (with
26 killings from Jan-Oct 2016 or without sexual
relations)
Palestine rape
Honor killings doubled between 2012 & 2013 in the West Bank falling in love with
& Gaza a person of whom
8 honor killings in 2011 & 28 honor killings in 2013 (UNwomen.org).
the family
disapproves
Iraq
In Kurdistan alone, > 3,000 women were killed, between 2010 are all reason
& 2015 (Parvaz, 2016).
enough for a male
member of the
"So he[my brother] killed my boyfriend and shot me with a
family to kill the
Kalashnikov in our home[] He never told me why ... he still woman concerned.
has not."
PREDICTIVE FACTORS JORDAN
CONFLICT Syrian refugees in Jordan
Violence begets Violence report husbands are
Palestine under immense stress
increasing physical &
Political tyranny psychological violence
disproportionately impacts women and girls At high risk for domestic
limitseducation& access to healthcare, participation in
violence, early marriage,
sexual violence, & survival
public life sex (Sheri, cite)
increases levels of domestic violence.(UNwomen.org, 2016) High risk of social isolation
45% of people of all ages in the Gaza Strip (children, due to fear of verbal &
sexual harassment
adults, elderly) are exposed to all types of violence
41% report never or rarely
Iraq leaving their shelter
Limits access to services
Conflict and increasing Shi'ite extremism feed into
beliefs that domestic violence is acceptable, as well as
economic difficulties that place stress on family
structures (Parvaz, 2016).
PROTECTIVE FACTORS EDUCATION
Jordan
93% literacy for those > 15 years (WHO, n.d.)

closed the gender gaps in education- female enrollment at every

level matches that of males.

Palestine
95.6% of women are literate (Ministry of Health, Palestine, 2013)

Iraq
80.5% literacy rate for females aged 15-24 years (UNICEF, 2017)

Gender gap in education

87% F enrollment primary
44.6% F enrollment secondary
lack of completed secondary education may contribute to reduced
health literacy & economic prosperity.

WHAT CAN BE DONE
Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs)
Improved womens health 11 specialized Family and Juvenile Protection Unitsin the West
care
By promoting Gender
Equality & empowering
Women
Better education
Increased earning potential
Decreased domestic
violence
Jordan
Strong Commitment to MDGs
Improving Gender Equity through policy & program
development & increased economic opportunities.
Palestine
New initiativesto protect women victims of violence:
Newly developed Palestinian National Action Plan (NAP) to
implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325
Bank to receive victims & file cases
unit of 15 specialized public prosecutors for victims of violence
Family Protection Act to provide women with important legal-
protection measures against violence First of its kind(
http://palestine.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/201
6/03/path-to-justice#sthash.Z1VEwyMb.dpuf
)
Iraq
Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) is working toward
implementing a National Strategy to Confront Violence Against
Women.
Iraq itself passed a law in 2011 outlawing domestic violence, as
44% of women had reported experiencing physical abuse from
husbands if they "disobeyed his orders" (Parvaz 2016).
WHAT CAN BE
DONE?
Strategies to Reduce Violence Against
Women
Engage Stakeholders
Health Policy United Nations Organizations
Mandatory arrest for offenders UNIFEM
Including perpetrators of honor crimes UNICEF
UNHCR
UNFPA- supports research on
Additional Resources violence against women
Shelters & Crisis Centers WHO
Treatment for offenders Governmental & non-
Couples counseling governmental agencies
Programs to strengthen ties to Private & public sector
family & jobs
WHAT CAN BE
DONE? CRITICAL
Strategies to Reduce
Violence Against Women ISSUE-
Conflict in Palestine
Public Health Prevention & Policy Development
Education Conflict
awareness Resolution
Change cultural & social norms Policy Development
Train police, judges, & healthcare to improve the lives
personnel to deal with gender of Palestinians
violence more sensitively & more
effectively Temporary Solutions
Short term
funding
Asylum for
REFERENCES
Holter, L. (2015, August 20). Being A Woman In Iraq Is Getting Increasingly Difficult As Violence & ISIS Become The Norm. Retrieved February 23,
2017, from https://www.bustle.com/articles/104103-being-a-woman-in-iraq-is-getting-increasingly-difficult-as-violence-isis-become-the-norm

Palestinian Bureau Statistics (PCBS) State ofPalestine.(n.d.)Guide to Palestinian Statistics A-Z. Retrieved from
http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/site/langen/507/default.aspx

Parvaz, D. (2016, October). Combating domestic violence in Iraqs Kurdish region. Retrieved February 21, 2017, from
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/10/combating-domestic-violence-iraq-kurdish-region-161007093040513.html

Skolnik, R. (2016). Global Health 101. (R. Riegelman, Ed.). The Burden of Disease: Looking Forward (pp.45). New Haven, CT: Jones & Bartlett
Learning.

United Nations Development Programme. (2014). Gender Inequality Index (GII). Retrieved February 21, 2017, from
http://hdr.undp.org/en/indicators/68606

United Nations Women. (n.d.).Facts and Figures: Ending Violenceagainst Women.Retrievedfromhttp://palestine.unwomen.org/en/what-we-

do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures#sthash.Se7Yxxlt.dpuf

United Nations Women. (April 27, 2015).Press release: New report from UN Women unveils far-reaching alternative policy agenda to transform
economies and make gender equality a reality.Retrievedfromhttp://palestine.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/2015/04/press-release-new-
report-from-un-women-unveils-far-reaching-alternative-policy-agenda

Yasmine Hussein&Al Jawaheri (2008), Women in Iraq, London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 118-119