RIYADH: A law to protect children’s rights is one of the key bills that will be discussed in upcoming Shoura Council meetings.
The bill aims to protect children from all kinds of abuse, negligence and exploitation. The bill also defines the role of governmental and private agencies for children’s education and social care and its right to intervene to stop abuse and negligence.
There are also provisions in the bill for special protection for children subjected to cruelty and a system to increase the public awareness of children’s rights.
There are no accurate statistics about abused children in the Kingdom. The local media has taken a major role in highlighting the issue, and the question remains whether child abuse is increasing in the Kingdom or whether the media is opening up to addressing the topic more than before.
The National Family Safety Program founded in 2005 has held several meetings to highlight the problems of women and children in the Kingdom.
The government’s increasing concern about the welfare and protection of children and women has been clear in its decision to establish special family courts.
The governmental Human Rights Commission (HRC) has opened a branch to focus directly on issues pertaining to women and children. The branch also aims to create awareness about the laws pertaining to women and children through campaigns and to define rights as established by Islam.
