Domestic Violence and Its Impact on Individuals and Society

Violence is recognized as one of the most horrific and pervasive issues in society, characterized by extracting kindness from matters, words, actions, and situations, and replacing it with harshness and cruelty. Violence can manifest physically, psychologically, or verbally, including actions like mockery or imposing opinions. Examples include violence between spouses, parents or one of them against children, and children against parents. Many Arab families endure silent suffering from different forms of violence - verbal, physical, or even emotional - and this has a detrimental impact on both individuals and society.

Some impacts of violence on individuals and society

Family disintegration

The use of harshness and violence by some fathers towards their wives or children disrupts the stability and peace in their lives, inevitably leading to divorces.

Divorce

The separation of spouses due to conflicts and incompatibility results in the dispersion of family members, leading to the displacement of children. Children living in families exposed to domestic violence are more prone to developing aggressive behavior, which may reflect in their interactions with friends, siblings, family and other individuals in society.

According to psychologists and sociologists, intense family pressures and conflicts contribute to the development of children inclined towards deviant behavior. On the other hand, in a free society that is not exposed to violence, its members do not suffer from any levels of stress or disorder, and it is a safer and more stable society. The spread of violence in society leads to disorder and instability.

The signs of physical violence

Behaviors that are considered physical violence include pulling hair, slapping, kicking, biting, choking, withholding food and drink, using weapons to cause harm, reckless driving with the partner present, constantly insulting and criticizing the other party, continuously monitoring the partner’s movements, controlling the partner’s external appearance, forcibly taking the partner's money for family expenses, and constantly checking the partner's phone...etc.

Penalties prescribed by law for physical violence

The legislator has stipulated penalties for violating its provisions, which is violating a protection order punishable by a misdemeanor penalty, which is imprisonment for a period not exceeding 3 months, and a fine of not less than 1,000 dirhams and not exceeding 10,000 dirhams, or one of these two penalties. The penalty shall be doubled in the event of violating the protection order by using violence against any of those subject to the provisions of this decree-law.

Anyone who commits any of the acts that are considered domestic violence, namely physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, and economic abuse, shall also be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding 5,000 (five thousand dirhams) or one of these two penalties.

The legislator also assigned the description of crimes of domestic violence to the crimes stipulated in Part Six of Volume Two of Federal Law No. (3) of 1987, and the penalties contained therein are applied to those crimes. The court may double the penalty if the perpetrator commits any act of domestic violence within one year of committing the previous act.

Out of the legislator’s keenness and vision to preserve family ties, they made offering reconciliation to the parties an obligatory procedure by the Public Prosecution before disposing of domestic violence crimes, which yields many benefits that achieve its purposes and goals, which are to preserve family ties, protect society from domestic violence, and foster a resilient family structure upon which society relies.

By:

Abdulhamid Albalooshi | Abdulhamid Yousuf Albulooshi Advocates & Legal Consultants