International Review of Law - Volume 2013, Issue 4

Domestic violence, a serious problem around the world, remains a hidden concern among the Islamic Gulf States. Yet signs indicate the situation is changing. A team of American lawyers and professors, responding to student initiative and the Qatari development strategy, recently initiated Qatar's first law school clinic, focusing exclusively on domestic violence. By highlighting the students' experience, this article outlines the issues involv Read More

In a recent judgment by the South African Supreme Court of Appeal, Daffy v. Daffy, (659/2011) [2012] ZASCA 149; [28 September 2012] 4 All SA 607 (SCA); 2013 (1) SACR 42 (SCA) the question of what exactly constitutes a domestic relationship for the purposes of domestic violence came under scrutiny. This article will provide a short overview of the Daffy case and the South African Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998. The bounds and Read More

This article uses the Pakistani Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Act of 2010 (Act of 2010) as an example to discuss the use of ad hoc legislation on issues of violence against women in Pakistan. From 2008 to 2011, the Aurat Foundation reported that 158 acid attacks occurred in Pakistan. While one remedy for the victims of acid attacks may be to see their attackers punished, a lasting remedy would be to ensure this type of horrific attac Read More

Women in Nigeria are reluctant to report cases of domestic violence to the police. This study examines the magnitude of domestic violence in Nigeria. It also examines respondents' levels of education, culture, religion, and tradition vis-à-vis unreported cases of domestic violence in two heterogeneous communities in Nigeria. This study surmises that the level of domestic violence could be reduced if women were given social support to repor Read More

In the recent decades as a result of feminist efforts, significant progress in addressing the issue of domestic violence on the international scene, as well as, on the national level have been made. However, there are still numerous examples of the legal systems routinely failing women victims of domestic violence. In the Republic of Macedonia the issue of domestic violence emerged on the national agenda in the 1994, and ever since, many pro Read More

Abstract I greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve as the guest editor of this special issue on domestic violence. Since its inception in 2012, the International Review of Law under the stewardship of Dr. Jon Truby of the College of Law at Qatar University has featured articles on a range of legal issues with global and regional significance. The vision of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, former Emir of the State of Qatar, Read More