Over 2,000 child abuse cases in 8 years: head of Family Safety
Over 2,000 child abuse cases in 8 years: head of Family Safety
January 2, 2017 | 12:00 AM
Executive director, National Family Safety Program Maha Al-Muneef
January 2, 2017 | 12:00 AM
Last Updated: January 2, 2017 | 12:00 AM
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Executive director, National Family Safety Program
Maha Al-Muneef[/caption] By Abdulmohsen Al-Harthy RIYADH — The More than 2,000 cases of child abuse were reported in the Kingdom over the last eight years, according to the National Family Safety Program (NFSP). Maha Al-Muneef, executive director of the program, said about 31 percent of the cases involved physical abuse while 25.2 percent involved psychological abuse. She said 46 percent of the callers who reported cases of child abuse were small girls while 43 percent of the callers were women. Al-Muneef said 54 percent of the reports were redirected toward the Ministry of Labor and Social Development while 19 percent of the reports were to the Ministry of Interior, 16 percent to legal institutions, 10 percent to the Ministry of Education and 1 percent to the Ministry of Health. She also said a survey run by the program concluded that domestic abuse and child abuse are social phenomena that must be tackled. “The rate of physical abuse against elderly men is higher than it is against elderly women. The survey also revealed that men face more sexual abuse than women in Saudi Arabia. The program is currently organizing awareness campaigns to educate the public about certain issues in relation to child abuse such as the violent shaking of a newborn or an infant,” said Al-Muneef. She said the program cooperates with the Ministry of Health to deal with domestic and child abuse and it cooperates with the Ministry of Education to tackle bullying in schools. “The program was initiated in 2005 with the aim of educating the general public about abuse in society. The program never gets in direct contact with the victims of abuse. The program designs and prepares projects to raise awareness among the public by cooperating with government and social institutions,” said Al-Muneef. She also said the program usually cooperates with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development. “The program has also held many conferences and campaigns in public areas. The child support hot line is (116111) was set up eight years ago in 2009. It now operates 16 hours a day. Soon, the hot line will work 24 hours daily,” said Al-Muneef. She also said the landline supports all cases related to children under 18 years old. “The callers can be relatives of abused children and they would receive psychological and social support from professionals. The hot line will offer consultations and guidance for families and relatives of abused children,” said Al-Muneef.
Executive director, National Family Safety ProgramMaha Al-Muneef[/caption] By Abdulmohsen Al-Harthy RIYADH — The More than 2,000 cases of child abuse were reported in the Kingdom over the last eight years, according to the National Family Safety Program (NFSP). Maha Al-Muneef, executive director of the program, said about 31 percent of the cases involved physical abuse while 25.2 percent involved psychological abuse. She said 46 percent of the callers who reported cases of child abuse were small girls while 43 percent of the callers were women. Al-Muneef said 54 percent of the reports were redirected toward the Ministry of Labor and Social Development while 19 percent of the reports were to the Ministry of Interior, 16 percent to legal institutions, 10 percent to the Ministry of Education and 1 percent to the Ministry of Health. She also said a survey run by the program concluded that domestic abuse and child abuse are social phenomena that must be tackled. “The rate of physical abuse against elderly men is higher than it is against elderly women. The survey also revealed that men face more sexual abuse than women in Saudi Arabia. The program is currently organizing awareness campaigns to educate the public about certain issues in relation to child abuse such as the violent shaking of a newborn or an infant,” said Al-Muneef. She said the program cooperates with the Ministry of Health to deal with domestic and child abuse and it cooperates with the Ministry of Education to tackle bullying in schools. “The program was initiated in 2005 with the aim of educating the general public about abuse in society. The program never gets in direct contact with the victims of abuse. The program designs and prepares projects to raise awareness among the public by cooperating with government and social institutions,” said Al-Muneef. She also said the program usually cooperates with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development. “The program has also held many conferences and campaigns in public areas. The child support hot line is (116111) was set up eight years ago in 2009. It now operates 16 hours a day. Soon, the hot line will work 24 hours daily,” said Al-Muneef. She also said the landline supports all cases related to children under 18 years old. “The callers can be relatives of abused children and they would receive psychological and social support from professionals. The hot line will offer consultations and guidance for families and relatives of abused children,” said Al-Muneef.
