Facts about the plight of Arab women:

WEST BANK-GAZA STRIP: Sociologist Nadera Kevorkian says 27 of 179 women questioned in a survey reported beatings by male relatives.

ISRAEL: One in six of Israel's 450,000 Arab women are beaten, say estimates by women's rights advocates.

JORDAN: About 60 women a year killed in "family-honor" killings, says lawyer Zuhra Sharabati. About 500 women a year file criminal complaints against husbands for assault.

EGYPT: Domestic violence generally not identified as a problem under the law. Parliament debating whether to limit extent to which a man may beat his wife.

TUNISIA: In a survey of largest Tunis hospital in 1992, Democratic Women's Association found 85 per cent of 480 female assault victims were battered wives.

KUWAIT: Counsellor Marwan al-Mutawa, who has treated beaten women, estimates four of 10 women are either beaten or psychologically abused.

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