By SAMAR KASSABLI
The Associated Press
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DAMASCUS, Syria - A U.N.-funded
report on violence against Syrian women that
appeared in state-run media broke a long-held
taboo against public discourse on such issues,
activists said Tuesday.
The activists said they hope the
government's willingness to publicize the matter
will help raise awareness in this conservative
society.
The study found that about 22
percent of married women in Syria said they had
been verbally or physically assaulted, with
about 10 percent saying they had been beaten.
Of that 10 percent, eight in 10
said the beating came from a family member, the
study found.
The state-run Al-Baath newspaper
ran a story about the news conference announcing
the study's results, though the results
themselves were not published. The report quoted
activists saying that women were subjected to
violence daily and that some laws discriminated
against women.
Still, the mere publication of
the report was an indication the government,
which controls many aspects of political life
and the media, wanted to raise awareness.
"Violence against women always
existed in Syria, like any other society. But
talk about it is new," said Muna Ghanem, head of
the state-run Family Affairs' Association, a
branch of the General Union of Women. She said
the group was preparing to run awareness
campaigns on TV.
It was not clear why President
Bashar Assad's government allowed the report to
appear. Since coming to power in 2000, Assad has
embarked on limited economic and political
reforms, easing some of the rigid restrictions
in place under his late father.
Unlike many countries in the
conservative Arab world, women in Syria have
reached high political positions, but activists
say their status within society still lags
behind.
The study, released last week by
the state-run General Union of Women, was funded
by the United Nations Development Fund for
Women.
Aref Sheikh, the coordinator in
Syria of the U.N. fund, said some in Syria's
government do support the discussion of such
social problems, while others deny the problems
exist.
He said the study could serve as
the basis for debate and action by politicians
to change laws
"It's very important to put the
issue of violence against women in Syria on the
table and discuss it publicly," Sheikh told The
Associated Press.
The study of nearly 1,900
families said women were beaten for reasons
ranging from neglecting housework to bombarding
husbands with too many questions.
Mohammad Habash, head of the
Islamic Studies Center and a legislator, said
the report's figures were "horrible" but added
that violence against women is "part of the
prevailing mentality in the region."
Ways to deal with the issue
include pressing for a change in the way Muslim
societies look at women and in developing laws
relating to women, activists said. Still, Syria
has made important strides.
Syria boasts the highest-ranking
female official in the Arab world, Najah
al-Attar, appointed second vice president about
three weeks ago. The country also has two female
Cabinet ministers out of 30.
There are 30 women lawmakers in
the 250-seat legislature, and 19 percent of
lawyers in Syria are women.
Associated Press reporter Dale
Gavlak in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this
report.
