JEDDAH — Contrary to popular belief, the rate of bullying and violence among schoolgirls than among boys, according to a study by the National Family Safety Program. The study, which focused on students in public schools, found unacceptable behavior among 56.5 percent of girls, compared to 39.5 percent of boys. The survey also indicated that the rate of bullying is increasing in general across the Kingdom. It emphasized the need for organizing anti-bullying campaigns among students with the cooperation of UNICEF, National Committee for Children and the Education Ministry. A training program has been conducted for educational supervisors in public schools in Riyadh province on how to deal with bullies. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Dr. Maha Al-Muneef, executive director of the National Family Security Program, said there was a 30 percent increase in cases of violence and torture involving children this year, compared to the previous year. "The child support line receives calls from all over the Kingdom," Al-Muneef said. "We have noticed that the number of such calls have increased in Makkah and Riyadh provinces, compared to other regions of the Kingdom." However, she pointed out that the increasing numbers of calls reflected the growing public awareness about the program and the need to inform authorities about such incidents. "I expect this trend to grow in the coming years," she added. The child support line provides counseling services to affected children through telephone and receives calls about violence against children. "These cases will be forwarded to authorities to protect affected children and provide them with a secure atmosphere," the executive director said. She said the program faced a lot of difficulties and challenges in the first years. "We have crossed a long way in changing society's perception of child abuse and succeeded in highlighting the negative impact of family violence on children and society at large," she added. Al-Muneef said society must accept the reality and take necessary remedial measures, including enacting of new laws to prevent violence against children. "We don't underestimate the effectiveness of existing laws to protect children and prevent family violence," she added. The family safety law has resulted in qualitative improvement in efforts to prevent violence against children, she added. Article 13 of the law specifies a jail sentence of not less than a month and not more than a year and a fine of SR5,000 to SR50,000 or both for all forms of torture and violence against children described by the law. "If anybody repeats the offense, the punishment would be doubled," Al-Muneef said, adding that the law does not prevent granting tougher punishment imposed by other laws. She called for a new law to incriminate sexual abuse of children. Al-Muneef's statement came on the occasion of the Family Safety Day, which coincided with the 10th anniversary of the National Family Safety Program, which is managed by the Health Affairs Department of the National Guard Ministry. Nine ministries and government agencies work together to realize the program's objectives. They include the ministries of Interior, Justice, Social Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Culture and Information, Youth Welfare Presidency and the Human Rights Commission.
