Progress Amid Resistance

296 WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAto conceal any violation of the woman’s honor, and such matters are rarelydiscussed outside of the home. Moreover, the regime’s de nials regardingthe existence of violence against women extend to crimes like rape. Thedeputy director of social affairs in the General People’s Con gress, AmalSafar, declared in 2005 that “violence and rape is very rare. You might findtwo cases [in Libya] from people belonging to non-Libyan cultures.” 40There are no genuinely independent women’s organizations workingon the issues of women’s autonomy and security, and no women’s sheltersexist aside from the social rehabilitation centers described above. Aishaal-Qadhafi’s Al-Watassimu charity, which maintains close ties to the government,has worked to raise awareness of violence against women withlimited success. The project it launched in March 2007 included promotingthe issue in mosques, schools, and other public places. 41RecommendationsF The government should introduce laws that specifically define andcriminalize domestic violence and rape, including spousal rape.F The government should raise awareness of domestic violence throughpublic campaigns using various media, including television soap operas,in a bid to dispel taboos surrounding the subject.F The Qadhafi Development Foundation should establish an associationspecifically designed to raise awareness about domestic violence and toreduce the taboos associated with it.F The country’s religious authorities should initiate a public educationcampaign aimed at eliminating the perception that violence againstwomen is religiously acceptable.F The police force should receive adequate training on how to deal withdo mestic violence and rape cases, and set up special units to handlethese crimes.F The government should open well-resourced shelters for women whohave been victims of domestic violence.ECONOMIC RIGHTS AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITYIn recent decades, the government has encouraged women to participatein the workforce and to exercise their economic rights. They have increasinglydone so, and some women, particularly among the elite, have beenable to break into fields traditionally dominated by men, such as law,