Saudi Gazette report DAMMAM — Psychologists and social specialists stressed that people suffering from behavioral disorders should not be exempted from punishment for offenses they commit because they are fully competent. However, they said those who are medically proven to be mentally incompetent are not responsible for their actions and their cases should be considered leniently. Speaking to a local Arabic language newspaper, they said that there are no specialized centers in the Kingdom equipped to treat delinquency. The added that the young girl who was sexually abused in a video that went viral recently did not receive the proper guidance from her family or school. Psychologist Asad Al-Nemr said the psychological state of the offender who is fully mentally competent makes him responsible for his actions. "The offender may have had previous experiences of harassing children and escaped punishment, which encouraged him to repeat that behavior," he said, while adding that clinics in the Kingdom treat these cases with medicines only despite a need to rehabilitate such predators and their victims. “Prisons are not a viable solution because they do not provide rehabilitation help or even psychological treatment,” he added. Mohammad Al-Khayyat, a social specialist, said all societies denounce such behavior. "In the West, there are very strong deterrent laws against child abuse, something the Kingdom lacks," he said. “In many cases, the child's family may relinquish their rights simply to preserve the reputation of the child. This will have a negative effect as the child is in need of therapy to overcome the shock. The child needs women specialists to deal with her in a non-investigative manner, which calls for specialized family centers to provide assistance in such cases," Al-Khayyat said. He noted that there is a need for specialized centers to rehabilitate such offenders and allow them to mix with society. “The major reason that has led to an increase in such cases is the financial situation of the offender. In addition, parents may be too busy to monitor their children's behavior on the Internet and on social networking sites. Furthermore, in houses where there is a shortage of space, children may sleep in the same room with their parents or older siblings and they witness everything,” he added. For her part, Latifah Al-Shalan, a member of Shourah Council, has criticized the procedures for protecting women and children. She said legislation to protect women and children is moving at a slow pace and subject to different views that negatively affect society. Al-Shalan's criticism comes on the heels of the child abuse video that went viral. “The most notable point in the video clip was that the child did not show any reaction to the harassment, which points to a lack of awareness in school and at home,” she said while criticizing the absence of legislation. “There is a great vacuum in legislation against harassment and efforts to protect women and children are very slow moving. There is a dire need to enact the required laws so victims do not feel they will be blamed for what they suffer,” she added.
