WUNRN
SAUDI ARABIA PASSES HISTORIC
DOMESTIC ABUSE LEGISLATION
In a file photo, a young Saudi woman walks
in downtownRiyadh. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji
By Lisa Anderson - 28 August2013
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) -
Saudi Arabia’sCabinet has passed landmark legislation recognising all forms of
abuse,including domestic violence, as offenses deserving investigation,
prosecutionand punishment by law enforcement agencies, according tolocal media reports.
Previously, the kingdom regarded domestic
abuse against women and children asprivate matters, but under the new law all
forms of abuse - including physical,psychological and sexual - as well as the
threat of abuse, will be eligible forpenal action.
According to theSaudiGazette, the Ministry
of Social Affairs said convicted abusers will receivea minimum jail term of one
month and a maximum of one year and/or fines rangingfrom 5,000 to 50,000 Saudi
riyals ($1,333 to $13,333). In the case ofrepeat offenses, the punishment
will be doubled.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency
following the Cabinet session,Minister of Culture and Information Dr Abdulaziz
Khoja said the new law affordsabuse victims provisions for shelter as well as
psychological, social and healthcare.
He noted there is also a specific
provision in the law to prevent workplaceabuse. “All civilian or military
employees and all workers in the privatesector who learn of a case of abuse -
by virtue of their work - shall report thecase to their employers when they
know,” the Cabinet said in a statement.
Domestic violence, previously considered a
private family matter in thekingdom, is a relatively new concept for public
discussion. In April, thekingdom published its first public campaign ad against
domestic violence,featuring a close-up of a woman wearing a niqab with only her
eyes visible,one markedlyblackened. “Some things can’t be covered - fighting
women’s abuse together,”readthead’s text.
National Society for Human Rights member
Suhaila Zain Al Abideen Al Hammadtold the Saudi Gazette that she feared the new
law was flawed because women arestill subject to male guardians who must bring
them to file abuse complaints,even though they might well be the abusers.
Domestic abuse is still not openly
discussed in the kingdom, but a 2009report cited byArabianBusinessfound that of
women seeking help at primary health centres inMedina, 25.7
percent of the 689 women surveyed had been victims of physicaldomestic
abuse, but only 36.7 percent of them had notified their doctors.
______________________________________________
SAUDI ARABIA - KINGDOM TIGHTENS LAWS
TO PREVENT ABUSE
This
law was long overdue and my biggest concern is in its effective implementation.
Passing a law is a necessary first step but it is not a stand-alone process.
Without recourse to trained officers, empathic civil courts, safe houses and
professional rehab services as well as relocation mechanisms such a law will
not serve the purpose it was passed for. - Fatin Bundagji, Member of the Board
of Directors, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Abusers to get up to one year jail, SR50,000 in fine
• ‘A great step to curb violence against women’
Adnan Al-Shabrawi and Mohammed Alshoaiby
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
August 27, 2013 - JEDDAH/RIYADH – Citizens and expatriates welcomed the
Council of Ministers’ approval of a law against various types of abuse,
including those at workplaces, and penal action against offenders.
The Cabinet session chaired by Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy
Premier, Adviser and Special Envoy of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, on
Monday passed the new law which guarantees protection from various kinds of
abuses and provides assistance and treatment to victims of abuse.
As per the law, all forms of exploitation as well as physical, psychological
and sexual abuse or threat of abuse will be treated as an offense, sources at
the Ministry of Social Affairs told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.
Several prominent figures, including Dr. Hussein Al-Sharif, Supervisor of the
National Society for Human Rights in Makkah region, and Dr. Ali Al-Hanaki,
adviser at the ministry, welcomed the new law, saying that it is a great step
in curbing domestic violence. The law will give courts more powers to take
strict penal action against abusers, and that may include even depriving
guardianship of an abusive parent in case of the repeat of offense, they said.
The Ministry of Social Affairs sources said the abusers will get a minimum jail
term of one month and a maximum of one year or fines ranging between SR5,000
and SR50,000 or both. In case of repetition of the crime, the punishment will
be doubled.
According to the law, anyone who knows about any cases of abuse must report (to
authorities concerned) immediately.
“It’s about time we have laws against harassment,” said Ghada Saad, who had to
leave job because of workplace harassment.
Nasir, a senior accountant at a Riyadh-based firm, called it “a good step.”
Dr. Samih, who runs a clinic in Riyadh, said: “These laws are welcome. We need
change, but it must be applied not just to employees. Sometimes, patients
harass nurses and it is very difficult to react. There have to be laws that
protect the employees from clients as well.”
Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja said in a statement to
the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the Cabinet session that there are
provisions in the law to provide victims of abuse shelter and psychological,
social and health care as well as necessary assistance, besides taking legal
action against the abusers and punishing them.
Dr. Khoja said that there is a specific provision in the law to prevent abuse
at workplaces. Under the law, all civilian or military personnel in the public
sector, as well as workers in the private sector who know about any cases of
abuse – by virtue of their work – shall report these to their superiors. The
employers in turn shall report to the Ministry of Social Affairs or the police
immediately after knowing about the cases. The law also stipulates that it is
not permissible to disclose the identity of the informer of an abuse case
without his or her consent. Officials of the Ministry of Social Affairs shall
protect the confidentiality of those who inform about any such cases.