RIYADH — A young Saudi woman was freed after being held in captivity by her father for 9 months, thanks to the intervention of the Human Rights Commission (HRC). The young woman was transferred to a shelter home where she is in rehab, regaining her physical and mental health under the best care and monitoring of the concerned authorities. Special teams from HRC followed up on the case of the young woman who had been subjected to physical and psychological harassment by her father after her confinement in one of the rooms of their house. The HRC's intervention came after the plight of the young woman came to light through the social media. The HRC teams, in coordination with the social protection agencies and the security agencies, swung into action to end the suffering of the woman after verifying the information shared on the social media. It was found that the woman had been subjected to physical and psychological torture by her father, who had her locked up in one of the rooms of his house for about nine months. It was also revealed that the woman was subjected to inhumane treatment. In another development, the HRC's recent intervention enabled a Saudi woman to see her 13-year-old daughter after her ex-husband prevented her from seeing her with a false claim. Meanwhile, Bandar Al Hajri, director general of grievances at HRC, said that domestic violence is one of the most significant areas that HRC is working on, whether in relation to procedures for dealing with reports and cases, rapid intervention mechanisms, or with regard to methods of handling cases, in addition to monitoring and analyzing data pertaining to them. Al-Hajri said that HRC is currently supporting a number of solutions to develop subsequent follow-up procedures for the victims' conditions, in addition to providing social, psychological and economic support, in a way that contributes to stabilizing their conditions and reducing their exposure to violence. He noted the level of response and interaction that the commission is being received from government agencies in this respect, whether with regard to dealing with individual cases or with regard to general aspects of domestic violence cases. He also hoped for more progress in this aspect.
