Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — The inordinate delay in delaying deciding divorce cases has deprived a number of children from getting education or seeing their mothers, a Human Rights Commission member has said. His point was further elucidated by a judge who said the Ministry of Education has been approached to consider preventing children from education a “crime.”



Ali Al-Ruwaishid, a member of the HRC, raised the point at an open discussion at a seminar Tuesday under the title (And to Parents, Good Treatment). Al-Ruwaishid said the HRC receives a number of cases of children who are being prevented by their fathers from education. These men also prevent mothers from seeing their children. Such cases, he said, evolve because of the delay in looking at divorce and financial aid cases at the courts.



But the President of Jeddah General Court Abdul Rahman Al-Husaini defended by stating that the courts now are fast in looking at these cases as there are specific judges assigned for them. “We are also using messages and emails to speed up the contact. Further to that we can bring them (fathers) by force to the court.” He noted that they have sent a proposal to the Ministry of Educatio asking it to consider preventing children from education a “crime.”



Al-Husaini, however, refused to consider adel (fathers preventing their daughters from getting married) an impiety case. “Daughters hesitate to approach courts in these cases although it is their right to get married to capable men,” he said.



The head of Jeddah female prison Thuraya Hawasawi commented that youth who are sent to prison as a punishment for their impiety cases tend to get affected by the criminals inside jails. Al-Husaini replied by saying that judges tend to issue alternative punishments that range from asking the person to memorize Qur’an or write reports on respect for parents. “There are, however, some severe cases where imprisonment is necessary,” he noted.

Hawasawi said the other challenge faced by prison authorities is that girls who are placed in jail are not received by their parents even if they were found innocent.



Al-Husaini said the parents who are committing such deeds are “irresponsible.” The parents, he said, should forgive their daughters and take their responsibility.



Jawahir Al-Nahari, head of the female section of the HRC, told Saudi gazette that they have an impiety file which has been divided into two sections. The first section is of children who treat their parents badly while the second is of parents who abuse their children or prevent them from a basic right.



During the last five years, HRC in Jeddah received 204 cases under impiety issues. A majority of the cases, stated Al-Nahari, include preventing children from seeing their mothers and not providing them education. Other issues include absence of financial aid, impiety issues against parents, physical and psychological abuse, and absence of identification cases.



Hani Al-Zahrani a member of the Investigation and Prosecution Board, stated that they impiety mainly involves drug addicts or people suffering from psychological disorders. He said there are no set punishments in impiety cases and it is left for the judge. Punishments normally range from scolding, lashing or imprisonment.