JEDDAH, 1 November 2007 — A new charity to help victims of domestic abuse has been established with its board members finally elected on Monday at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI).
Board members for the Charity Society for Family Protection were elected in the presence of JCCI Chairman Saleh Al-Turki, who is also the chairman of the Al-Birr Charity Society in Jeddah.
Lafi Al-Balawi, one of the founders of the society, said that the body would be the first of its kind in the Kingdom. The society will be based in Jeddah and will offer protection to victims of abuse, including women and children, providing them with psychological, social and rehabilitation support and helping them restart their lives. Help will be provided in conjunction with official organizations.
“The society would receive domestic abuse cases, study them and address them sociologically and psychologically in cooperation with different law enforcement agencies,” said President of the Charity Society for Family Protection Dr. Enaam Raboei, who is the head of the Pediatric Surgery Department at the King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital.
She attributed the increase in domestic abuse cases in the Kingdom to a parallel increase in divorce, family problems and the lack of awareness. She also pointed out the need to prepare people who are getting married on how to deal with marital life.
The society will have a medical committee that will work with the Social Protection Committee in the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Makkah Region in reporting abuse cases. The society will also raise awareness among women and children on the rights that Islam has given them. Periodicals detailing ways of raising children will be distributed and special programs will be run to rehabilitate victims.
Dr. Raboei, who has been a child protection activist since 1985, was elected president of the society. Al-Balawi was elected deputy president for administrative affairs and Dr. Maha Al-Dabbagh as deputy president for technical affairs. The fund’s trustee is Fatima Al-Rifai.
Other board members include Fadia Enani, Samira Al-Ghamdi, Ehsan Al-Taib, Nauf Al-Furaikh, Abdul Mannan Mulla, Fatima Al-Akeel and Muna Madani.
