The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) announced recently it has completed a draft for a national strategy to deal with civil liberties and fight abuse. The NSHR also disclosed the opening of two new branches in Medina and Jazan, bringing the total number of its offices in the country to 15.

Maj. General Abduallah Al-Suhair, the Eastern Province branch general supervisor, addressed the recent international concerns regarding household maids as part of the national strategy. According to Al-Suhair, the act of posting ads and transferring domestic workers between households is not considered “human trafficking.” Regarding prisoners’ treatment in the Kingdom, he said representatives of the branch visited 42 jails in the region and will report all cases of human rights violations. The NSHR has also established recently complaint offices inside jails throughout the country, Al-Suhair added.

“We plan to adopt more modern methods of reporting and communicating, especially via social networking channels, as the majority of the complaints come from women,” he said, addressing concerns about inefficient communication paths with possible victims.

One of the organization’s most active office last year was the Al-Sharqia branch, with 330 complaints received, of which 188 were filed my men and 142 by women, according to the office’s director, Emad Al-Dagheesh. Over 71 percent of cases have been resolved, the majority of which were family-related issues, while 80 percent of the total complaints were filed by Saudi nationals.

The organization also achieved tremendous success last year curbing human trafficking in the country. According to the head of the Human Trafficking Unit in Der al Qasim, one of the most involved in the issue, they work on cases related to recruitment, transfer, or receipt of individuals under threat, especially women. “The main aim of the unit is to prevent the abuse or threat against citizens, and individuals responsible for these actions face prison terms of up to 15 years as well as fines of up to SR1 million,” the supervisor explained, adding that sanctions against abusers of women, children, or disabled individuals will be redoubled.