Courts in Jeddah received some 980 women-related violence cases last year, while the women’s section at the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Makkah received 241 cases in the same year, a judicial source said.

Jeddah courts received 765 and 215 violence cases targeting Saudi and expat women last year, respectively, whereas violence cases targeting Saudi and expat children stood at 95 and 90 cases, respectively.

Hadi Al-Yami, general supervisor of HRC in Asir, and head of the Arab Human Rights Commission (AHRC), said violence against women and children can not be eliminated unless the already-existing rules are properly and strictly applied.

He said the absence of coordination between government agencies may raise the occurrence rates of violence, and stressed the need for a better regulatory framework to assist protection efforts in this regard.

“The HRC remains supportive to the rights of women and children,” he added.