Saudi Arabia - A YOUNG woman visited my office two years ago, claiming that she suffered sexual harassment by her father. I was shocked and could hardly believe something like this could happen. I met her mother, who neither denied the situation nor confirmed it. We went into a long discussion when she asked me who would protect and feed them if they left the house. The case has been dealt with by individuals and official institutions. Nevertheless, I don’t know whether the harassment continued, and if the same occurred to the younger sisters of the woman. The depth of the problem is not only in the act itself, which is considered a disaster by all means committed by a monster who is supposed to protect his family. The absence of legal protection to institutions that shelter the victim and her family could be most problematic. The mother’s question of who would protect and feed them is still humming in my head. This does not mean I accept her weakness. I blame her for her negative silence, just because of her fear of hunger. A strong decision should be taken, no matter what the results are. In return, I also blame civil society organizations for their failure to protect our children from those evils. What we need to do is to institutionalize the protection of victims and their families by making legitimate rules and laws. Concerned establishments need to halt violence through precautionary programs and proper treatment. I think teachers in schools are aware of the problem, but they cannot do anything. Divorce cases are increasing rapidly. Some fathers insist on obtaining custody of children after they divorce their mothers. Some oblige their new wives to be the “alternate mom” of their children, leaving all responsibility to them. Others order their new wives to be the mother of their kids. The result we have obtained is an increase of violence at homes. Full Story>>
The Issue of Incest in Saudi Arabia http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article471400.ece
