Population Size:
2,832,067 [1]
Number of People Experiencing Domestic Abuse Each Year:
No research.
Cost of Domestic Abuse to the Economy Each Year:
No research.
Estimated % Change due to COVID-19:
No research.
Current law and policy:
Qatar has committed to reducing domestic violence,[2] adhering to international protocols and strengthening its services.
The State of Qatar commits to implement international protocols on combating violence against women and human trafficking, align national legislation to adhere to CEDAW and other international conventions, and take specific measures to combat domestic violence. In addition to the effort made to increase public awareness about women's rights and their protection from violence, the Qatar National Vision 2030 includes under its umbrella a host of future activities aimed to develop a sound social structure based on effective State institutions and active civil society organizations and, under the intermediate output of the relevant national strategy, to reduce domestic violence and establish a system for the protection of survivors.
The Family Cohesion and Empowerment of Women Strategy includes implementation of the following measures: adoption of legislation criminalizing domestic violence through a penal code and a penal sanctions system; development and adoption of legal mechanism for the protection of informants and survivors on violence cases; adoption of a follow-up mechanism in coordination with the police to protect victims and creation of centres/units for providing protection services; consolidation and revision of data on violence and incorporating the definition of violence against women; launching a programme on gender-based violence and setting up an official reporting and monitoring mechanism; launching an outreach campaign on domestic violence; creating special units, a hotline service and a family-friendly police system; building appropriate safe houses for victims of violence and continue to support programmes to rehabilitate and reintegrate violence survivors into the society.
The Government of Qatar has also established a Committee in the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in December 2012 to review and develop relevant legislation on domestic violence. The Comprehensive Strategy for the Family has identified future programmes and projects to include review of legislations that govern unauthorized marriages and establish a mechanism to facilitate, by authorization from a judge, marriage of women forbidden from doing so by their parents. The 2011-2014 Strategic Plan of the National Human Rights Committee addresses also the implementation of many activities related to increasing awareness about human rights of various groups, including: marking of international human rights occasions by organizing special events; development of publications and outreach materials targeting select groups on managing and protecting rights; launching of three public information campaigns about the most vulnerable groups to violation, including women; organizing trainings on CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; conducting a national survey to identify human rights needs of state bodies and civil society organizations; organizing training sessions to build capacity of human rights and public freedoms organizations; and identifying a mechanism to monitor conditions of the most vulnerable groups to violations.
Frontline Services:
Qatar Charity - https://www.qcharity.org/en/qa - info@qcharity.org
Qatar Professional Women's Network - https://qpwn.org