JEDDAH, 28 June 2004 — Recent discussion of child abuse has generally focused on the home, but some of the most common abuse occurs in schools.

In May, a student in Dammam was hit violently in the groin by another student and had to be taken to hospital. The hospital report showed the hit was so severe the boy could have lost his manhood.

The school administration took a written commitment from the attacker’s father that he would not repeat the offense and a full report was submitted to the Education Department in the Eastern Province.

Both the attacker and his brothers have a history of violence against fellow students, but no steps were taken to deal effectively with their violent behavior.

In some cases of school violence weapons are involved. A secondary school student in Hafr Al-Baten stabbed his schoolmate with a knife after a schoolyard argument.

In Taif, a teacher in a widely publicized case forced his students to crawl on all fours in the midday sun until their hands and knees blistered and had to be treated, reportedly to punish them. The parents filed complaints with the Education Department in Taif, which promised to investigate and punish the teacher in line with regulations.

Girls’ schools also see their share of slapping, hair pulling and other forms of physical violence, not to mention verbal exchanges. The most common form of punishment by the teacher is striking the student on her palm with a ruler. Although all kinds of physical punishment are in theory banned in schools, these punishments continue to happen.

One teacher in Tarabah went further. She banged her 7th Grade student’s head repeatedly against the wall in front of her fellow students. The girl suffered a nervous breakdown and continues to undergo psychiatric treatment. It was not the first time that the girl had suffered the teacher’s violence. The school principal explained that the teacher suffered “neural episodes” and some disciplinary measures were taken against her.

“School violence is not a big problem in our society yet, but it is disturbing and it is growing,” said Omaima Zahid, the media director at the Girls’ Education Department in the Makkah Region. She finds that the problem is not limited to particular segments of society and is present even at the college level. While she puts most of the blame for the children’s misbehavior on the parents, educators also have a responsibility, she said.

There are no statistics on violence in girls’ schools, but a recent government study on child abuse found that at least 21 percent of male children in the Kingdom are subject to some form of abuse, be it psychological or physical. The study did not cover female children and sexual abuse.

It said the highest level of physical abuse happens at high-school level and accounts for 28.4 percent of cases, followed by abuse at the elementary level, with 25.3 percent, and at the middle school level with 23.4 percent.

Severe beatings make up 21 percent of physical abuse. Of the physically abused children, 18 percent were being hit with “dangerous objects,” it said.

A few months ago the Ministry of Education instructed all boys’ schools to raise awareness among students on the dangers of carrying weapons, focusing particularly on knives and other sharp objects. The ministry asked the school administrations to monitor students carrying these objects and to file a report by the beginning of the next school year on all confiscations of weapons and reprimands of students.

The government study found many parents were unaware of the punishment their children receive at school. It said most of the children suffering psychological abuse were at the elementary stage, with 36.4 percent, followed by students at high-school level with 36 percent and middle school students, with 30 percent.

In a seminar on child abuse organized by King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah recently, Salim Al-Towairqi, director of the guidance department at the Education Department in the Makkah Region, said abuse in schools range from beating and throwing things at student to contempt and neglect.

Although sexual abuse is the least common in schools, Al-Towairqi said that it is the worst kind. He said there were cases of rape and of exposing private parts, but none reach the courts because the subject remains taboo.

In March, the Ministry of Education took the first step in addressing this problem by implementing a program to prevent violence in schools. It consists of workshops for students, teachers and parents on abuse and its effect and how to handle violent behavior properly.

The program started at elementary level and will later be extended to the secondary and high-school level. It also consists of surveys for the students, teachers and parents to collect data, which will form the basis for a more focused action plan.