TAIF, 15 December 2006 — Another child abuse case has drawn the attention of the local media. This time it involves nine-year-old Shahad, who is currently living with her mother in her grandfather’s house.
The mother divorced her husband on the grounds that he was abusive. She returned her dowry money, which is a common practice in divorce proceedings in the Kingdom, but it took longer for her to get custody of her three children.
“He insisted on keeping custody even though the judge ruled him unfit to care for his children,” said the mother, who was not named in the report in the daily Al-Jazirah.
“The judge ruled in my favor, but until Shahad was hospitalized, my children had to suffer under their father’s custody,” said the mother.
“I was able to flee from his torture before my children could.”
The woman said that her ex-husband vented his anger on the daughter, beating her and locking her in rooms to prevent her from escaping.
The grandfather eventually went to the house and took the girl to Taif Specialist Hospital where she spent seven days to recover from the trauma.
“I love my father, but I don’t want to live with him,” Shahad said. “He beats me up for no reason. I want to live with my mother who protected me.”
“The father is supposed to protect his daughter, not the other way around,” said Muflih Al-Kahtani, deputy president of National Society for Human Rights. “I am sorry to say that the number of child abuse cases is on the rise. In cases of divorce, both parents should work for the betterment of their children.”
Al-Kahtani emphasized the fact that only reliable and responsible parent should have the custody of the children. This, he said, has to be decided by the court.
He also urged the Ministry of Social Affairs to intervene to solve these cases and to ensure that judicial rulings concerning custody are adhered to. Fathers in many custody cases defy judicial orders with impunity.
Al-Kahtani also called for creating more awareness to highlight the issue through seminars and lectures.
