If there is no law prohibiting DV, then there could be no case even if the act exists. And if it cannot be prosecuted then the abuser cannot be prosecuted leaving the victim/s helpless. On the other hand, if the victim chooses to keep silent, criminalizing it would not matter. There can be no case without a complainant. In Qatar, women not only endure domestic abuse but worse they even justify it. They also hesitate to report such incidence neither they seek protection thinking about their family reputation3

How serious is the impact of domestic violence that would require a specific law against it? To be enlightened, this paper specifically seeks to answer the following questions: How is the family affected by domestic violence? Are families able to deal effectively with domestic violence? Why yes and why not? What more is available or should be available to assist families in dealing with domestic violence?

The National Development Strategy (NDS) reported that there is an increasing incidence of DV in Qatar since 2004 with 2,389 numbers of cases referred to as the Qatar Foundation for Child and Women Protection. Of these cases, 1,204 were perpetrated against children and 1,185 against women. However, these figures only speak of those reported cases. The number must be greater given the fact that Iraq has no systematic data collection plus the fact that most Qatari women prefer not to report the incident to safeguard their family reputation. The NDS furthered that the devastating economic and social costs of this gender-based violence negate Qatar’s goal to have all its citizens socially cared for and protected.4

An interview conducted with a family therapist as to the effects of DV showed its far-ranging adverse effects on families specifically on wives and children. Among those common emotional traumas that victims of DV usually undergo are depression, anxiety, panic attacks, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder. More than this, he also emphasized that abuse also results in more serious psycho-social problems like suicide attempts, psychotic episodes, homelessness, and slow recovery from mental illness.