The project would empower the executing organs, including police, to implement court verdicts on such cases.

Talking to Arab News Wednesday, a source at the society said they had been receiving an increased number of custody cases from divorced couples. "There are several loopholes in the current regulations, which have to be rectified," he said.

The source, who did not want to be identified, said the latest of these cases was a complaint from a mother of a three-year-old girl who said the father, whom the court had given custody, did not allow her to see her daughter. She said the court ruling did not include visitation rights for her, so the father took their daughter out of Jeddah to live with his mother in Al-Baha. The woman said she had been unable to see her daughter or communicate with her over the telephone for more than a year.

The source said the NSHR made efforts with the father to allow the woman to see her daughter, reminding him of the Shariah rules in these cases, but he would not listen. He added that the NSHR would approach the provincial governorate to enable the mother to see her daughter.

He recalled another incident in which the court gave custody to the father and ordered him to allow the mother to communicate with her daughter. The source said before the verdict was executed, the girl's grandfather took the girl to a place known only to the mother. "The father was not able to see or communicate with his daughter for more than three years," he added.

Meanwhile, an awareness campaign titled "Branches of Mercy" was launched by the society Tuesday at Al-Andalus Mall to enlighten parents against child abuse. The society sources, however, said despite these campaigns, there have been no considerable drop in cases of violence against children. They said the society receives an average of 10 child abuse cases every month.