An expert has called on officials to enforce mandatory orientation courses for couples planning to get married in order to introduce them concept of family and responsibilities of marital life.
The expert made these comments in the backdrop of recent local reports that indicated that domestic-violence incidents against children are on the rise.
Muna Sawwaf, a UN expert on addiction and psychiatry, told Arab News that violence against children stemming from family members must be analyzed and the causes should be exposed to find the appropriate means of resolving the root problem.
“Mothers who justify violence against children as a disciplinary tool, are mostly unaware of children’s rights and the need to safeguard their dignity,” she said.
“A child is an autonomous entity, and more measures need to be taken to generate an understanding on the best ways of raising children,” Sawwaf said.
“We have seen a number of cases including physical, sexual and psychological abuse against children, not to mention willful negligence. Many mothers simply take out the pressures of life on their children. It is obvious that many families lack the means to protect their children and safeguard their physical and emotional integrity,” she added.
According to Sawwaf, many helpless children get severely punished both physically and verbally in the process of being “reared”.
“Verbal abuse, cursing, isolating the children and terrorizing them with threats and emotional neglect can easily undermine a child’s integrity. This could lead to traumatic effects on the child, like stuttering and bed-wetting. Children also tend to imitate violence through games and may resort to violence when they grow up,” she said.
Another area of concern, Sawwaf said, is that of domestic helpers. “They are burdened with all kinds of domestic chores and are also assigned the heavy responsibility of taking care of children. Due to these pressures, housekeepers sometimes vent off against children.”
Human behavior specialist, Dr. Muhammad Al-Zaini, told Arab News that incidents of violence against children are on the rise.
“Women are getting busier outside the home and domestic helpers are becoming more involved in childcare.”
Al-Zaini concurred with Sawwaf’s recommendation that there needs to be marriage orientation sessions to sensitize young couples on issues related to domestic violence.
In a seminar recently held in Jeddah regarding domestic helpers and violence, Dr. Khalid Matar, Jeddah chief coroner, asserted that women are the highest perpetrators of abuse against children.
“Twenty-four percent of violence cases against children are committed by mothers. Some simply take their anger out on their children. Others use contraband drugs and some suffer from psychological inflictions,” he said.
Experts favor mandatory marriage orientation
