Saudi Social Media Users Break Silence on Violence Against Women

Jeddah: Saudi women have found a way to break their silence and expose stories of harassment, rape and physical abuse they face often on a daily basis. The hashtag #Break_Your_Silence_Speak_Up went viral among Saudi women who started sharing their bitter stories that often go untold. Along with sexual harassment, physical and verbal abuse takes place daily, according to some women. Mashael Al-Bakri, a Saudi researcher, said in an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper one of the Saudi centers for domestic abuse victims that suppression of the wife or children and forbidding them from expressing their issues freely is prevalent and a form of psychological violence. An estimated 53 percent of men in 2016 are willing to use violence against their wives in case of disobedience, where 32 percent have already used physical abuse against their wives, according to a study conducted by researcher Norah Al-Musaed