RIYADH: Princess Adela bint Abdullah is to launch on Wednesday a national child abuse registry that is being set up by the National Safety Program to help counter incidents of child abuse in the Kingdom.
Dr. Maha Al-Muneef, executive director of the program, said the registry is a huge step forward. “This registry will in the future help develop clear and accurate statistics about cases of child abuse and neglect,” she said. She added that child abuse deeply affects children and can sometimes affect their length of life and lifestyles.
“Some studies show that people who were abused as children are vulnerable to social, psychological and health problems. They most likely develop coronary diseases, hypertension, diabetes and depression,” said Al-Muneef.
“The abuse of children is something common in all societies. By establishing this registry, we are not just looking at risk factors, our bigger aim is knowing the exact numbers and then reaching the causes,” she said.
