45% of Saudi children victims of domestic abuse

A staggering 45 percent of children within Saudi society are victims of domestic abuse, local media said quoting data released by the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Khalid Abu Rashid, a lawyer and legal adviser, highlighted the figure before a gathering of more than 400 male and female participants at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) on Tuesday under the theme, “the culture of rights.”
The two-day forum was jointly organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs in Makkah and the Qadim Consultancy Center (QCC) in the presence of senior JCCI members, Jeddah’s Human Rights Commission and other leading social and legal affairs experts.
The forum was primarily focused on issues related to divorce, custody and alimony in order to spread awareness on pressing issues, including including domestic violence and cybercrime.
Abu Rashid raised the issue of child protection and shed light on laws that criminalize acts of torture and abuse, including imprisonment terms and fines, since Islamic law guarantees family-related rights.
“The Kingdom has made quantum leaps in legal rights,” he said. “Penalties for domestic abuse were recently raised from a month to one year in prison and from SR5,000 to SR50,000 in fines,” he said.
He said certain government agencies are empowered to interfere if abuse cases are reported to ensure that potential victims have access to health, social and family consultancy care services and that abusers are called in for questioning to deter them from committing such acts in future.
Serious cases will be referred to an administrative authority or security organs, which have the power to intervene.
A series of torture cases have sparked outrage in the media over the past few days.
In Riyadh, a young man recently confessed to have burned his father to death because of his torture and manhandling. In Jazan, an eight-year-old child sustained burns to his scalp after having chemicals poured onto his head by his father.
The boy had been abused by his drunken and addicted father for years, said media sources.