American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
J Interpers Violence. 2022 Feb;37(3-4):1270-1291. doi: 10.1177/0886260520922349. Epub 2020 May 27.
Domestic violence (DV) is described as a major public health issue that negatively affects women's physical, mental, reproductive, and sexual health. In Lebanon, there are 18 religious sects that are allowed by the Lebanese constitution to manage their own affairs, judge, legislate, and issue rulings. These laws discriminate against married women and favor men over women. The purpose of this research is to explore the views and attitudes of religious leaders on DV, and their experiences of dealing with DV in Lebanon. This study involved in-depth interviews with 13 male religious leaders from various religious denominations. Each religious leader participated in an in-depth interview to assess understanding and perceptions about DV, and how DV cases are usually dealt with. All of the participants stated that they were involved in the affairs of their communities by counseling on familial and marital problems. Thus, several themes emerged throughout this study which are related to types and prevalence of DV, causes of DV, responding to DV through counseling and taking legal measures, religious leaders' opinions on the DV law, and the support they need from the community and stakeholders to encourage the implementation of the law against DV. The results demonstrated that religious leaders are one of the many stakeholders concerned with addressing community-level issues because religion is a prominent part of people's lives in Lebanon. Therefore, religious leaders could have a pivotal role in raising awareness about and responding to DV. Providing them with proper information and referral options in the communities they serve would improve society's response to DV. Finally, their request for building their skills in DV counseling in the form of trainings or workshops indicates a need that can be met by local community organizations.
家庭暴力（DV）被描述为一个严重的公共卫生问题，对女性的身体、心理、生殖和性健康产生负面影响。在黎巴嫩，有 18 个宗教教派，根据黎巴嫩宪法允许他们管理自己的事务、裁判、立法和发布裁决。这些法律歧视已婚妇女，偏袒男性。本研究旨在探讨宗教领袖对 DV 的观点和态度，以及他们在黎巴嫩处理 DV 的经验。这项研究对来自不同宗教教派的 13 位男性宗教领袖进行了深入访谈。每位宗教领袖都参加了深入访谈，以评估他们对 DV 的理解和看法，以及 DV 案件通常如何处理。所有参与者都表示，他们通过咨询家庭和婚姻问题参与社区事务。因此，本研究出现了几个主题，涉及 DV 的类型和流行程度、DV 的原因、通过咨询和采取法律措施应对 DV、宗教领袖对 DV 法的看法，以及他们需要社区和利益相关者的支持来鼓励执行打击 DV 的法律。结果表明，宗教领袖是关注解决社区一级问题的众多利益相关者之一，因为宗教是黎巴嫩人民生活中的一个突出部分。因此，宗教领袖可以在提高对 DV 的认识和应对 DV 方面发挥关键作用。在他们所服务的社区中为他们提供适当的信息和转介选择将改善社会对 DV 的反应。最后，他们要求以培训或研讨会的形式在 DV 咨询方面提高技能，这表明当地社区组织可以满足这一需求。
