Domestic violence against women (DVAW) is a worldwide phenomenon and refers to any act committed against women that results in physical and psychological harm, and coercion, loss of liberty, and deprivation. There is a dearth of research and information about the extent and prevalence of domestic violence among Libyan communities. The aim of the study was to explore community knowledge of, and attitudes toward, DVAW and to improve our understanding of the factors that influence knowledge, attitudes, and responses, particularly educational and gender differences. Using snowball sampling, we analyzed 20 semistructured interviews with Libyans living in Manchester, United Kingdom. We found gender and education-influenced participants' perception of DVAW. Men in general did not recognize DVAW as a serious social problem; noticeably, they saw it as a personal and family issue. Knowing attitudes toward DVAW is necessary for government and communities' prevention policies as attitudes influence perpetration of DVAW.
We surveyed one hundred and seventy five Libyans in Manchester in order to assess their attitudes and perceptions of domestic violence against women (DVAW). Overall, 82% of the participants agreed that the definition of DVAW involves verbal abuse, economic abuse, threat to use violence, physical and sexual violence. Ninety-five percent agreed that if the husband shouts at his wife, curses her, pulls or pushes her, punches her, or breaks things in the house, these behaviours reflect DVAW. Unemployment (80%) and lack of material resources (70%) were the major perceived contributing factors regarding DVAW. We discuss the implications of the study and its limitations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.