Princess Hissah Bint Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, a member of the Saudi Human Rights Association, called for legislation that protects victims of domestic violence and punishes the perpetrators. “The Ministry of Justice ought to create mechanisms by which such laws are implemented to preserve victims' rights and indict criminals,” said Princess Hissah. Her comments came in a speech she delivered on Wednesday night at a press conference held on the occasion of launching a campaign to combat domestic violence, under the banner “Let's protect them, not harm them,” at the headquarters of the Charitable Society of Feminine Revival (Annahdah Annesa'eyah Society). Princess Hissah called on relevant bodies to contribute to the success of the one-month-long campaign and to keeping it alive throughout the whole year. She also called on Imams and preachers to educate the society about the importance of family, in cooperation with universities and educational institutes. The campaign targets 50 families living in Riyadh's Manfoohah district and having various social problems. It will practically begin after the current week-long school vacation with holding educational, social and sports activities and programs for one month. These activities are aimed at elevating health, psychological, intellectual and social awareness of the members of the targeted families. The campaign will also involve the opening of social clinics at Al-Nahdah Center for Social Services on a daily basis to deal with family problems throughout the duration of the campaign. The launching ceremony witnessed a donation of SR500,000 by Princess Ameera Al-Taweel. Princess Hissah said a meeting that involved the Human Rights Association, representatives of the Ministry of Social Affairs, National Society for Human Rights and several charitable societies recommended the creation of a supreme committee that is mainly concerned about women and children in domestic violence cases, along with other issues. The recommendation will be submitted to the Council of Ministers soon. The Princess said in the press conference that domestic violence is a global problem that has been present throughout the history of mankind. __
