The World Health Organization's (WHO) representative in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Awad Abu Zaid, has criticized the lack of accurate statistics on children affected by violence in Saudi schools. At a symposium on the occasion of National Day for Combating Violence Against Children, Dr. Abu Zaid said WHO studies showed that violence against children in schools is increasing, Al-Hayat reported on Wednesday. Dr. Abu Zaid felt that the negative impact of satellite channels is contributing in the spread of violence in schools. Ahmad Al-Mohaimeed, legal consultant at National Guards' King Abdul Aziz Medical City, said a draft law on child protection is being studied. He said the law will be introduced soon. He said laws and legislations do not intervene in child-raising methods inside a family. “Legislation cannot control the way people rear their children nor can it impose a certain upbringing method on parents. Laws can only provide guidance and the application of them is up to the parents,” he said. He said the Ministry of Interior has issued regulations preventing recruitment of children as peddlers and as riders in camel competitions. He said courts have imposed firm sanctions on perpetrators of crimes against children, citing the recent death penalty given to a couple for torturing their daughter. The chairman of the Saudi Management Association Dr. Nasir Al-Towaim said bodies in charge of dealing with domestic violence are not giving the matter the seriousness it deserves. “We always hear that these are isolated cases which makes government intervention unnecessary.” He said child rights must be considered as important as human rights, especially when statistics show that child abuse shatters the family life. A child being abused by a relative is more psychologically damaging than being abused by a stranger, he said. Dr. Al-Towaim urged urgent action by police authorities on receiving a complaint. He said the Ministry of Social Affairs should also intervene and demanded that it creates houses to protect children suffering violence at the hands of their parents. __
