All photos via 13th UN Crime Congress – Doha 2015 on Facebook

As part of a competition to raise awareness about violence against women and children, hundreds of Qatar-based students recently came up with drawings to visualize their thoughts on the issue.

The artwork, which is being displayed at the Qatar National Convention Center until tomorrow, is part of the ongoing 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that has been hosted in Doha over the past week.

Domestic violence, as well as cybercrime, corruption and organized crime were among the main themes explored at the conference, which wraps up tomorrow.

In a statement, Abdullah Khalifa al Muftah, head of the conference’s media committee, said:

“The images were very intense. Coming from young students, they were very honest manifestations of what our children feel about mature subjects and should be of concern to us adults.”

Domestic violence in Qatar

Though crime within Qatar wasn’t a focus of the meet, the country has been working to reduce domestic violence rates in the country, with mixed success.

For example, legislation that specifically outlaws domestic violence has been in the works for more than two years, but has not yet led to any new laws.

And worrying attitudes about the acceptability of violence continue to persist.

Last year, a government survey found that some 16 percent of men and 7 percent of women living in Qatar believe a husband is justified in “hitting or beating” their wives in certain circumstances, namely if the woman leave the house without telling her spouse or if she neglects their children.

Thoughts?