MANAMA: Bahrain has become the first country in the region to launch a special petition for men in which they can pledge to fight domestic violence.

The petition is backed by UN agencies in Bahrain, which will coordinate with their counterparts in the Gulf. The petition was first signed by Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa, president of the General Organization for Youth and Sports, followed by government heads and activists.

Women activists and NGOs backed the initiative, which they said would be a step forward to tackling the problem. “It is good to see more men signing this petition, which calls to unite and fight against domestic violence. We need to push this campaign at all levels,” said Amal Al-Jowder, head of health education at the Ministry of Health.

A group of activists have proposed that Bahraini lawmakers draft a law that criminalizes domestic violence. The proposal aims at eliminating discrimination against women, ensure gender equality and provide social security for women.

But the situation on the ground is different, as often victims feel scared to report abuses fearing public ridicule.

Fouzia Rabea, head of the Bahrain chapter of Amnesty International, said: “We receive calls from women who are being physically assaulted by their husbands. In most cases, the husband is alcoholic, unemployed or a drug addict. The victims are afraid to report and this attitude needs to change.”

Several families consider talking about domestic violence as a sensitive issue and prefer not to file official complaints against the abusers.

Local activists have in the past urged the government to enact a law to protect wives from being victimized by their husbands. Bahraini courts do not grant women divorce unless their husbands physically abuse them. So if couples live separately, the court has no reason to order a divorce.