DAMMAM: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has over the past two years received 98 complaints about husbands physically and psychologically abusing their wives and children.

A source at the NHRC said 74 complaints were received from women and children complaining about being abused by their husbands and fathers. He said some cases were resolved through reconciliation while others were referred to the police.

These statistics come in the wake of the civil status court in Jeddah issuing a verdict allowing a woman to divorce her 40-year-old husband after she was abused and confined to a room for two months, according to a report in a local publication.

The court found that she had been abused throughout her marriage, without any justification. She said that she married him because her father wanted to get rid of her when her mother died.

She said that her husband beat her with leather belts and tied her up with ropes. She was able to run away and go to a police station. The police took her to a hospital where doctors reported that she needed 18 days to recover from the beatings.

During the court case that followed, the man denied the allegations and claimed his wife was mentally ill. However, the judge ruled in favor of the woman and said her husband had tried to mislead the court. She was then granted a divorce and the man ordered not to approach her in any way. She was also granted the right to file for compensation.

Family specialist Naser Al-Rashe said at a seminar organized by the Happy Home organization that men must become more responsive to the needs and feelings of their wives.

He said that marriage is based on compassion and mercy. Men and women must be able to overcome natural differences and learn to live together harmoniously. Reconciliation is based on accepting each other’s psychological and cultural makeup, he said.