Family Violence in the Arab World

Objective: The current review provides up-to-date information on forms, prevalence, causal explanations, treatments, and primary prevention strategies relevant to family violence in the Arab world. Method: A literature search of electronic databases including Medline and PSYCInfo using such search terms as ‘family violence’, ‘child abuse and neglect’, ‘spousal abuse’, and ‘elder abuse and neglect’ in the Arab world, region or countries was conducted. Result: Family violence is widespread in the Arab world. Causal explanations of the problem range from the intrapersonal to human rights perspectives. Such explanations invoke the imperatives of culturally informed, evidence-based and multidisciplinary assessments, treatments and community supports. It includes services for victims, perpetrators and witnesses of family violence as well as involvement of criminal justice systems, religious leaders, health and mental health professionals, social agencies, and non-governmental organizations to legislation and public education that is consistent with international conventions, that criminalize family violence, and that nurture egalitarian communities free from gender-grounded discrimination. Conclusions: Family violence is widespread in different Arab countries. Arab societies are obligated to help victims of abuse and neglect, hold perpetrators accountable, and realize primary prevention strategies to stop family violence from occurring in the first place.