[4] A lot of the East Timorese women were teen mothers and dropped out of high school due to the responsibilities and pressure from having a child.

There are many rules women in Timor-Leste follow for precaution to not be victims of sexual abuse such as: not being able to show their bare arms, wear low cut tops, short skirts or bikinis.

The East Timorese women also are expected to be stay at home mothers and can not inherit or own their property.

[7] In 2010, a law was passed making domestic violence a public crime, but the practice remained prevalent nevertheless.

[9] According to activists in non-governmental organizations such as Asisténsia Legál ba Feto no Labarik, domestic violence is severely under-reported and the punishments are not deterrent: in one case, a man who "stabbed his wife in the back of the head and struck her repeatedly with a block of wood, after an argument about feeding their children" only received a suspended jail sentence of seven months.