Juliet Dinkha, PsyD and Nisrine Aboul Hosson, PsyD

This presentation will cover the interplay between Arab cultural variables and the dynamics of violence against women and children as a center stage topic, yet the literature and research are lacking in this domain. The current ongoing research hopes to minimize this gap in research particularly in the gulf region of the Arab world. The current study hopes to explore the extent to which certain cultural variables pose as facilitators to the already existing dynamics of violence and also how certain variables can be utilized to set limits to the cycle of violence. Furthermore the study hopes to shed light on psycho=social reforms necessary to serve as barriers against potential violence, such as the ones recently implemented in nearby countries such as Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. Future research will include comparative studies between Kuwait and nearby countries in the form of expanded literature reviews on psycho-social reforms, case studies, and future recommendations.