RIYADH, 15 April 2004 — A meeting to discuss child abuse in Saudi Arabia was held on Tuesday in the Diplomatic Quarter at the office of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS).
The meeting was part of a cooperative effort between the ABEGS, UNICEF and Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) in order to map out national strategies to protect children from negligence and abuse.
Speaking on behalf of his father, Prince Khaled ibn Talal said: “This meeting is part of a new healthy phenomenon that has begun to reflect on our society, to expose our problems and discuss their possible solutions. We were shocked by the number of abused children in Saudi Arabia and a number of questions were raised. One-fifth of the children are being abused and that is a very big number.”
Dr. Saeed Al-Mulais, director general of ABEGS, said plans should be in place to protect children from all forms of abuse. This includes emotional, sexual and physical abuse and other forms such as child labor, mobilizing children in wars and child marriages.
Stefan Toma, UNICEF representative in the Gulf Area Office, pointed out that Saudi Arabia was a country that had taken a big step forward when it signed the agreement for the Rights of the Child and proceeded with its international obligations arising from the agreement.
