Campaign seeks passage of laws against child abuse

Sayidaty Magazine and the National Family Safety Program (NFSP) have recently launched a campaign against child abuse that will last for three months.
The “White Campaign” aims to pass a law against child abusers and raise awareness on this phenomenon since there are currently no Saudi laws that criminalize sexual abuse.
There is, however, a law to protect children at the Shoura Council and another law against abuse and assault.
The campaign also seeks also to educate children and their parents about ways of protecting children and to encourage standing up to such crimes. It also sheds light on psychological remedies to help victims of child abuse.
The campaign contains a series of initiatives, such as the launching of activities and seminars. These will be announced on Sayidaty’s website and within a weekly report published in the magazine.
Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, editor-in-chief of Sayidaty Magazine, said, “Sayidaty took it upon itself to talk in absolute transparency about this issue. We talk about painful stories and harsh experiences forced upon children who grew up in an awful world of silence, marring their innocence and scarring their childhood dreams.”
Educational and family consultant, Nadia Nasseer, explains that there are different types of abuse. “There is verbal abuse and abuse through social media networks, since our children have access to modern technology. Children can be electronically abused through photos or obscene images. Harassment often starts when children are asked to give personal information on the Internet. This can lead to blackmailing children into acts they should not be engaged in.”
Sayidaty Magazine had earlier run campaigns against the marriage of minors, in which more than 10,000 people in the Arab world took part by signing petitions presented to Parliaments and legislative bodies in several Arab countries.