This report presents the main findings of an assessment conducted in Lebanon, Jordan and Occupied Palestinian Territory from January to May 2011 by providing a situation overview, challenges and entry points for action in each country and presenting recommendations for future interventions.
Although the impact of gun violence on women in the region has remained largely invisible, the proliferation of small arms has prevented women from exercising some of their most basic rights. Direct and indirect impacts of small arms on women in the Middle East include armed domestic violence and “crimes committed in the name of honour”, as well as long term social, economic and psychological effects of revenge killings between male family members, tribal vendettas and celebratory shootings resulting in death and serious injury. Women who have been injured are considered an added burden on the family, and in some cases they are marginalised and rejected by their family. When a woman loses her husband to gun violence, she must struggle to provide for family members.