Rise in child harassment warrants national campaign

Child abuse cases in the Kingdom are reaching alarming proportions and warrant a national campaign, according to some experts in the field.
Reem Al-Asiri, a professor in the department of kindergarten at King Khaled University, warned that leaving kids alone with a driver puts them at high risk of assault or sexual harassment by the driver.
“Studies confirm that 90 percent of incidences of harassment are committed by people familiar with the family,” Al-Asiri said.
Figures issued by Prince Julawi Center for Child Development indicate that 22.5 percent of Saudi children are victims of harassment, she added.
The figures show that child harassment has become a social evil in the society with one out of four kids in the country is a victim of molestation.
Al-Asiri noted that child molestation is taboo in Saudi society, adding that “the number of studies and research conducted in this area is very little, owing to the unwillingness of victims to cooperate, or the unavailability of information.”
Some studies reveal that sexual harassment can be used as a tool for corporeal or psychological harm to the victim.
Al-Asiri stressed that Saudi society needs a serious awareness drive about the increasing phenomenon of sexual abuse and the issue should be conveyed to all members of the family including parents and relatives. They should also be taught how to protect their children from potential molesters and later teach their children ways to protect themselves.
She warned that sexual harassment has far reaching consequences on the psychological and emotional development of the child which will negatively impact his future relationships.
“It is therefore imperative that a national initiative be launched in schools across the Kingdom conveying the message about this social evil,” she asserted.
She explained that a major cause of the spread of child molestation is the proliferation of pornography in all its forms, and multiple methods of communication that expose children to harassment.
She added that a child may be subjected to verbal harassment, or while participating in an interactive game on the Internet.
Al-Asiri also praised some social media platforms for having drawn the attention of educators to this phenomenon.
“I support sex education provided that it is placed under the topic of family education so that society can gradually accept the idea,” she said adding that sex education helps an individual to protect oneself in public life and learn how to deal with the virtual world.
She added that it is not the children alone who are subjected to harassment: “Women and persons with special needs are also vulnerable to sexual exploitation,” she said.
The Kindergarten Department in the King Khaled University is keen to spread awareness about sexual harassment and is committed to the service of children, she said.