JEDDAH, 1 November 2005 — Saudi men and women demand legal intervention for abused children as two more extreme child abuse cases hit the local press. A child abuse case can be taken to court and refuge sought in shelter homes currently being set up but whilst a child is actually being beaten up by a relative, there is no one to call.

Local police or any other legal authorities do not have the right for on the spot intervention.

Last week a grandmother fled her village with her eight-year-old granddaughter who according to Al-Riyadh newspaper was hospitalized at a Riyadh medical center after severely beaten up by her father. The girl was suffering from multiple bruises and possible kidney damage because her father beat her naked body with a thick stick, a plastic hose for almost two hours; then he locked her up.

He beat her as punishment for getting into a fight with their neighbor’s son.

The Al-Riyadh report said the father took his daughter to an isolated place, then stripped her of her clothes and hit her with a stick until it broke. Then he beat her with a plastic hose burned her with a heated metal coat hanger. After almost an hour he returned her to the house left her locked-up in the living room and went out to complete his night out with his friends.

The child’s grandmother said this was not the first time the man behaved like this: Earlier this month he hit the victim’s 10-year-old sister’s palms with a wooden ruler until it broke. Then he continued beating her with his leather shoes until she blacked out. The 10-year-old girl still cannot hold anything with her hands.

Although the children and their mother are at the grandmother’s house, she fears for their wellbeing and safety because the man who is still loose threatens to reclaim his family by force.

An Arab News survey, including Saudi men and women over 21, married as well as single, and with or without children, revealed that the demand for immediate on the spot legal intervention was unanimous. Almost 88 percent of the group agreed that people would eventually start taking matters into their hands in defense of those being abused or simply out of anger against the abusive person.

All those surveyed believed that the reason behind the increasing domestic violence and abuse against children is lack of law enforcement.

“We use to hear our former neighbor hit his children and his wife constantly,” says Sultan Al-Ghamdi.

“We repeatedly called the police. They did nothing saying that there’s nothing they could do. We even tried talking to our neighbor who threatened us and told us to stay out of his family business. It isn’t family business: He’s breaking the law. The police should automatically intervene.”

Adults who were formerly abused children said that violence against a child was an act against God; the law against it goes without saying and that police intervention should be an automatic reaction.

“I’m still suffering from the psychological and physical scars from my father’s beatings to my siblings and me,” said 17-year-old Sahar who is now living with her maternal aunt.

“What was worse than the beatings was the feeling that we were cornered, that no one could or would help us. I used to pray for death for my siblings and myself.”

Her maternal uncle said: “We went to the authorities to get our sister divorced because her husband beat her and our nieces and nephews. Throughout the long process of divorce and custody issues, they were still being abused. Why can’t we have immediate intervention? The judge is the guardian of any victim — how can their consciences allow this?”

Another relative of an abused child thinks that without immediate legal intervention becoming effective soon, people would resort to taking the law into their own hands.

“When I imagine anyone hitting a child in front of me and being told that I’ve no right to get involved, I see red,” said Raed Saleh. “I bought a gun because of what happened to my niece and sad but true, that’s how we ended the situation. He got scared, divorced my sister and gave us custody. Is this the message we’re giving everyone? Are we expected to stand by and watch our sisters and children victimized and do nothing?”

A policeman agreed on this last point. “If we’re not given the green light to step in, I believe people are going to start taking action on their own. Law enforcement on behalf of abused children is a must and a must that should be soon.”