2.37 PM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Most child abusers are relatives: Saudi doctor

Published
By Staff

The majority of people caught molesting children in Saudi Arabia were their relatives and most of them been abused when they were children, according to a Saudi doctor.

While some molesters resort to threats and violence against their victims, some others prefer peaceful ways by seducing the kids with money, sweets and presents, said

Dr Mohammed Mahdi, assistant director for medical training and development at the forensic medicine centre in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

“We have found that nearly 80 per cent of those who molested children, whether boys or girls, were their relatives,” he said at a lecture.

“Besides their relatives, molesters also include persons with close relations to the victim’s family.

“In most cases, we found that the molesters, whether men or women, have themselves been physically or emotionally abused when they were children.”

In a recent report, a Saudi child centre estimated that nearly 45 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s children are suffering from abuse and violence at home.

The child intelligence centre, a private agency based in the western Saudi Red Sea port of Jeddah, discovered nearly 500 child abuse cases in local families in 2013, a sharp increase over the previous year’s 292 cases.

“This worsening problem should prompt the authorities and all other concerned parties to take urgent action through an extensive awareness and education campaign targeting all segments of the society.

“We should also focus our efforts on the education authorities as many students undergo verbal and physical abuse at school and home.”

The report said parents in Saudi Arabia, with a population of around 30 million, need to change their behavior towards their children.

“They just need to learn how to deal with their children whether they are troublesome or creative. Parents’ behavior reflects positively or negative on their children,” it said.

“In the negative case, it could delay the child’s growth including intelligence, talking and understanding.

“It could also lead to aggressive behaviour by the child such  as damaging property, deliberate harming of others, fleeing home, sleeping problems, anxiety, depression, guilt and embarrassment, and weak self-confidence.
“All these cases could push children to indulge in crime.”