Taif reports fewer domestic violence cases this year

TAIF: Fifteen women and 14 children subjected to domestic violence were provided shelter by the Social Affairs Ministry here in the first half of this year, but these numbers were lower than those in previous years, according to local media reports.

These were among 186 reports of domestic violence followed up by the ministry, said Abdullah Al-Tawi, director of the ministry in Taif, according to a local media report recently. He said the ministry provided the women and children with psychological and medical treatment and support.
He said the ministry’s social protection unit in Taif had organized several workshops to educate people about domestic violence. These included for boys at schools, and for women workers in hospitals. There was also a workshop for directors of departments and police stations.
He said most domestic disputes arise from differences and are followed by divorce. This is often the case when women and children are abused, he was quoted as saying.
The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) in Taif said there were fewer domestic violence cases involving women and children at the beginning of this year compared to previous years.
This was likely due to the effectiveness of the NSHR’s awareness efforts, said Adel Al-Thubaiti, the organization’s representative in Taif. He said that the organization’s officials intervene as diplomatically as they can in sensitive domestic disputes.
“It seems that our awareness efforts have borne fruit over the past seven months,” he said. The NSHR has organized several programs, including lectures, exhibitions and seminars on the rights of children and women, caring for prisoners and the rights of the elderly.
However, he said the NSHR often have to deal with demands from citizens that were excessive and fell outside its mandate, including those seeking help solving their debt problems. “We do not have the power to deal with such demands,” he said.