JEDDAH, 22 December 2005 — A representative of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) told Arab News that the organization has investigated 5,000 cases in the Kingdom since its 2003 inception, and that these cases are increasing.
“Thirty percent of the 5,000 cases involve domestic violence,” said NSHR Research Director Suhaila Hammad. “This is a huge percentage, which strikingly draws the attention to the increase in these kinds of cases. Domestic violence cases that have come to us include physical and sexual abuse by family members, as well as financial and psychological abuse.”
In related news, Al-Jowhara Al-Angary, director of the Family and Child Cases Committee, called for the need for family courts in the Kingdom to rule on family issues, such as divorce and custody, according to Al-Madinah Arabic daily. To this end, the Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the NSHR, has announced that it is in the process of forming an independent family court that will specialize in family cases, including domestic violence against women and children.
Regarding the child abuse case published previously in Arab News about Rahaf, who was beaten brutally by her stepmother and who is now living with her father’s uncle, NSHR filed a public lawsuit after the father dropped all the charges against his wife.
“Dropping the private right in the abuse case does not mean that a person who abuses one of his family members can get away with it,” said Suhaila. “A public right must be implemented against the abuser.”
