Gulf | Saudi Arabia
45% of Saudi children suffer physical and psychological abuse
About 45 per cent of Saudi children suffer from some kind of abuse, according to a recent official study.
- By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 April 18, 2007
Riyadh: About 45 per cent of Saudi children suffer from some kind of abuse, according to a recent official study.
Psychological abuse is the most common the children suffer constituting 36 per cent, followed by physical abuse 26 per cent, the study said.
The study, conducted by the Anti-crime Centre at the Saudi Ministry of Interior, noted that primary school children are the ones mostly subject to psychological abuse, followed by those in secondary schools and then intermediate school students.
"As many as 36.4 per cent of primary school students were subject to psychological abuse, while 36 per cent in secondary school pupils face this type of abuse and 30 per cent of intermediate school pupils encounter psychological abuse," the study pointed out.
The study said that orphans were most likely to be abused, adding that 70 per cent of orphans in Saudi Arabia have faced at least one kind of abuse. As many as 58 per cent of children of divorced couples are also victims of abuse.
Meanwhile, Saudi researcher Princess Dr Muneera Bint Abdul Rahman Al Saud, told Gulf News that there are shortcomings in the way the society deals with child abuse cases.
Not reported
"These cases were not reported to the concerned security authorities and subsequently a criminal escapes without punishment and a victim lives without getting justice," she added.
"Allowing a criminal to go scot-free can lead to him continuing his predatory attitudes. So there should be a law stipulating that the security bodies should be informed in case of an abuse case," she said.
Princess Muneera noted that the most common case of abuse is related to children belonging to low-income families, followed by the ones from broken-up families and then children of a man who is married to more than one wife.
She added that abuse cases were also reported among children of parents of poor education, families where violence is common place, and in families where one of the members is an alcohol or drug addict.
The Saudi researcher called for saving children from abuse by taking away such children from their families and provide them with safe and secure shelter. She also appealed for solving the problem of poverty, which she said, is a causative factor.
She reaffirmed the importance of cooperation between the police and institutions concerned with addressing child abuse like hospitals, schools and social welfare houses.
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