Saudis have launched an online campaign demanding laws against abuse in the wake of the death of a 13-year-old girl who died after being chained to a door by her father.

“It is horrifying that we do not have laws protecting us against domestic violence,” said Amnah Jameel, a mother. “Some women are harmed day in and day out and no one even has a clue. This young girl was abused at the hands of her own father, her legal male guardian who is entrusted with protecting her, not torturing her.”

She said: “Women are routinely referred to as ‘queens’ by men in our society. Is this how queens should be treated? Focus should be shifted from trivial issues, such as women driving to the fact that women don’t even have basic rights.”

Reem, 13, died in Asir after choking on a heavy chain used by her father to tie her up to a door. Investigations confirmed that the girls were tortured.

“This is not for the first time such a horrific story has surfaced. Remember the sheikh who killed his daughter and who was released two months later on grounds that he is mentally ill?” said Mohammed Sadeg, businessman. “It is all the more horrifying that both the school and social services knew about this abuse and never spoke out or did anything to help get the man arrested. While Reem’s father is responsible for her death, the school and the center for social protection were accomplices through their silence.” Saudis are discussing the issue of domestic abuse under an Arabic hashtag on Twitter called Reem the Victim. “We have laws to protect eggs coming from houbara bustard and not a single law to protect children from abuse,” commented Hamad Abdullah, a Twitter subscriber.

“Before this was Hanan Al-Shehri, Lama Al-Ghamdi and now Reem. The list goes on,” said Naif Althunayan, another Twitter subscriber.

“An anti-abuse agreement signed between the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education was published in the print media. It seems like this agreement bears no importance at all,” said Mansour Yahya, another Twitter user.