Domestic violence against men ‘widespread’

Forty-four men were victims of domestic violence in the Kingdom last year, the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has revealed.
The NSHR's 11th annual report stated the organization had handled 14 cases in Riyadh, 13 in Jazan, eight in Dammam, five in Madinah, two in Makkah and one each in Asir and Jeddah.
Amal Al-Raie, a social worker, said the country does not have accurate statistics about the prevalence of domestic violence against men but believes that they make up a small proportion of cases. Most involved women and children, she said.
However, she called on government bodies to take action on the issue before cases increase. She said there was no need for a separate organization to deal with such cases, whether involving men, women or children.
Psychiatrist Salman Al-Habib said that there is “widespread violence” against men, but they are reluctant to report that family members have abused them. It is a “hush-hush matter,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission in Makkah said it did not receive any reports of violence against men. Ibrahim Al-Shadi, a member of the commission and its official spokesman, said this was probably because other organizations were dealing with such cases.
Victims usually only turn to the commission when they cannot get help from other organizations. He said the commission is always prepared to assist those coming to complain.