Some 38 percent of children of special needs have experienced violence either from parents or relatives, local media said quoting an expert.

Maha Al-Zori, a psychologist and consultant in Qatif Charity Society, warned against verbal violence on children of special needs, which leads to psychological and behavioral disorders on the life of a handicapped.

Children of special needs are exposed to violence and beating due to non-acceptance within the family members on the belief that they weigh burden on them, Naima Abu Ali, head of the handicapped section of the Social Supervisory Office in the Eastern Province, told Al-Madinah.

As soon as the abused child is referred to the protection house, the case is reported to the police center to provide protection to the victimized children, she said.

The mother, notably the uneducated, is the one who mostly practices violence against her child and, accordingly, she is to sign a pledge not to repeat the violence or, otherwise, the child will be taken from his family to a protection center, she added.

For his part, Ali Al-Ghazwi, head of the Blind Care Center (BCC) in Qatif, said BCCs were trying to enlighten the community on the requirements of this category to ensure their full harmony and integration in the society. The BCCs also try to raise the health and educational levels of the blind and change them into productive and effective individuals in the community, he said.

Unfortunately, the blind are still suffering from violence and scorn from their relatives and peers at schools. The most common types of violence practiced on them are represented in psychological violence, neglect and failure to provide them with assistance and even death arising from accidents as a result of neglect and indifference of their relatives, he said.