The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has welcomed a decision by the Ministry of Justice to prioritize rape cases involving children.

Mufleh Al-Qahtani, president of the NSHR, said this move would reduce the incidence of child rape in the country. He said lengthy court procedures would not help deter people from committing such crimes.

He said the decision takes into account the rights of victims, who are mostly women and children.

“The NSHR strongly hopes that speeding up procedures in such cases, in terms of arrests, investigations and prosecutions will provide enough guarantees for all parties,” said Al-Qahtani.

He said child rape is not a major problem in the country but many people have complained about lengthy police and judicial processes. However, he said that there has been an "undeniable" improvement in the time taken to finalize such cases.

Muhammad AI-Issa, minister of justice and chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, recently sent a circular to all the country's courts urging officials to deal quickly with these cases.

However, Issa stated that judgments are based on the severity of the crime, and the circumstances of perpetrators and victims.

He said sentences could include the death penalty, in accordance with a decision taken by the Kingdom's Council of Senior Scholars on Sept. 10, 1981.

However, the minister said sentencing has been left to the discretion of judges.

The minister urged all government officials including judges, and the police officers handling interrogations and evidence gathering, to carry out the duties assigned to them.

Rape cases are classified as criminal cases, and are handled by the general courts. Punishment may involve the death penalty, imprisonment or lashes.