Women's Empowerment

Suffering in silence: it’s time to talk about COVID-19 and domestic abuse

A myriad of factors has created distress, fear, and long-term economic insecurity for women – domestic abuse is a stain on humanity that must be talked about

One of the much-vaunted positive outcomes of COVID-19 is the coming together of families: parents who have been forced through circumstance to spend more time together and the obvious benefits to children and communities. Yet there is a darker side to this story: domestic abuse has soared - right across the world. 

The Guardian newspaper reported on 12th April 2020 that, ‘The UK’s largest domestic abuse charity, Refuge, has reported a 700% increase in calls to its helpline in a single day.’ In Australia, New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics’ Chief Executive said, “The difference for Covid-19 is the social isolation and stay-at-home measures that were in place have significantly reduced victims’ options and ability to seek help, which in turn could lead to an under-reporting in police figures.” In India, The Hindu newspaper reports that during the first four phases of the lockdown, Indian women filed more domestic violence complaints than the combined 68-day period of the last 10 years. 

This dark underbelly of an already bleak situation reflects a reality that despite enormous progress in gender equality, there are deeply ingrained attitudes towards women that are abhorrent and must be addressed. As we survey the impact of the pandemic – the good, the bad and the ugly – we have a duty to openly talk about the damage it has caused to women’s empowerment. 

Praise where praise is due

The dichotomy right now is that as we assess the damage that COVID-19 has done to women, we also have a duty to celebrate progress in public life because here in the UAE -  even as the horrors of abuse from around the world shock us - our national leaders have persevered with bold strategies that empower women. On August 29th, 2020, the Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) and Supreme Legislation Committee of Dubai launched the ‘Women-Specific Legislations Lab’ to boost the socio-economic participation of women in the Emirate. This coincided with Emirati Women’s Day, which ran with the theme ‘Preparing for the next 50 years: women are the support of the nation”. 

This summer also marks five years since the annual event was launched in 2015 by The Mother of the Nation, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, to empower women to shape the country’s future. Emirati Women’s Day falls under a broader six-year strategy for the Empowerment of Emirati Women, also launched by Sheikha Fatima in 2015, which seeks to enhance the role of women in eight key areas of public life: education, health, the economy, law-making, the environment, the social domain, information, political participation, and decision-making. We should celebrate the enormous good that this work has delivered. In 2016 the UAE was ranked as a leading country when it comes to gender equality in the Middle East, according to the World Economic Forum 2016 Global Gender Gap Report. Then, in 2017, Her Highness was recognised by UN Women as a global champion for gender equality. 

Equality in our lifetime?

Such programs and bodies are fundamental milestones on the long and often difficult journey towards true gender equality. Yet, the 2020 World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report’s main headline is, “None of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes.” This is a stark wakeup call that despite thousands upon thousands of organisations around the world fighting to achieve equality, it remains elusive. 

The continued struggle for true social and economic equality has economic as well as human consequences. I believe that a nation’s true promise is tied up in its human capital. Character traits such as ambition, invention, curiosity, problem solving and risk taking are human traits. They are not unique to men. Any society or community that believes only men have what it takes to innovate and lead from the front are selling themselves short to the tune of 50%: half the population. When women are denied the same freedoms as men, society is denied twice the invention and creativity: half the incredible ideas, half the businesses, half the knowledge and half the skills as a nation. 

The UAE has led the way amongst Arab nation’s when it comes to fixing these historic wrongs. Most recently, the UAE has introduced an equal pay law, which guarantees that men and women will draw the precise same salary for the same work. The law says that, ‘Equal pay is perhaps the most significant tool to empower women.’ Of course, even when progressive laws are introduced, changing attitudes, behaviours and ways of thinking is generational and cannot be achieved over night. For many it is a sensitive subject because it brings into question matters of family and parenthood and household earnings. 

Irrespective of which culture we come from, it can be difficult for a man to accept that his wife earns more than he - clearly this is not a straightforward transition for a society to make. A September 2019 Forbes article by Bianca Barratt examined social attitudes on the subject of female breadwinners, within which she says that despite a third of working Mothers in Europe being the main breadwinners in their families, ‘We still don’t seem to have worked out how to deal with the ‘phenomenon’ of the female breadwinner’. 

I believe that it is the very structure of society that makes it difficult for women to truly break through the glass ceiling in a global sense. Much is said about sexist board rooms – but I wonder if it is often the Uncle or Brother or Grandfather who has as much of a role to play in sowing the seeds of doubt in a small girl’s mind? How do we speak to each other about women’s roles in society at home or at family gatherings? Are we opened minded about our daughters’ futures? Or are we fearful?

Governments must deal with social isolation and domestic abuse

Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs has worked tirelessly over many years in the pursuit of women’s rights in the UAE and around the world. As the Chair of the Nama Women Advancement Establishment, her focus is on mobilizing the means required to create enabling environments to advance gender equity and inclusive economic and social growth. NAMA’s efforts stem from its core philosophy that women advancement is a fundamental requirement for the sustainable development of nations. It is a crucial philosophy. Through its three affiliates, Sharjah Businesswomen Council, the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council, and Badiri Education and Development Academy, NAMA designs and implements initiatives that support women across the economic, professional, and social sectors

The visibility of successful women is also an incredibly important factor in advancing gender equality and in encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship in women. The extraordinarily hard working Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi is one of our country’s beacons of female success - not only is Her Excellency the Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment & Development Authority (Shurooq) but she is the Founder of the Kalimat Publishing group, which is the region’s first publishing house dedicated to the production of quality original Arabic children’s titles. She is a fierce advocate for the nation’s success, a champion for foreign direct investment in Sharjah and a humanitarian who in June 2020 launched a Dhs 1 million COVID-19 emergency fund to support publishers in the UAE whose businesses were severely impacted by the pandemic. 

For many years, Sheikha Bodour has worked to advance women in the workplace – as far back as 2016 she issued an administrative resolution promoting three women leaders working at the authority in line with the UAE's national strategy for the empowerment of Emirati women and with Shurooq's strategic vision to boost its human resources and enable outstanding female employees to assume positions of higher leadership.

We must also be thankful to the support of the public sector in raising awareness during these dark times. A new PwC report sheds light on the situation in the Middle East: ‘Tragic human and economic loss to some of society’s most vulnerable groups: individuals living alone, and victims of domestic abuse confined to an unsafe home.’ The report suggests that in response, ‘GCC countries need policies that address the impact of social isolation and coordinate vital resources to support victims of abuse.’

For all women and girls, the road ahead will not be without complications or opposition. In developed nations, the gender pay gap persists and in many parts of the developing world the struggle is only just beginning. In Sharjah – and the UAE as a whole – the men and women who lead us have shown that the emancipation of women is the best way to advance a society that thrives on opportunity, fairness, and economic prosperity. It is a world view that has so far served our nation well and – as a Father and husband – I am very proud to belong to a country that values women as equal, in every way, to men.