Saudi authorities have approved three amendments to the Law of Protection from Abuse and five amendments to the Child Protection Law on 21 March 2022.
The amendments were done to ensure adequate protection for children and weaker sections of society from abuse by awarding stringent penalties for abusers.
According to the amendments, Article 13 of the Law of Protection from Abuse was amended and the award of imprisonment was added for a period of not less than a month and not exceeding a year, or a fine of not less than SR5,000 and not more than SR50,000 or of both for anyone who commits a crime of child abuse.
The penalty will be doubled if the victim is a person with special needs or a parent or those above the age of 60 years or a pregnant woman who suffered a miscarriage as a result of the abuse.
The penalty will also be doubled if the abuse occurred at the workplace, a study centre or a prayer area or in case of the perpetrator being someone entrusted with the application of the provisions of this law, or it occurred with the use of a weapon.
Under another amendment to the Child Protection Law, it is stated that anyone who commits an act of abuse shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding SR1,00,000 or both.
The jail term will be for a period between two and five years, and a fine ranging between SR1,00,000 and SR5,00,000 if the victim of abuse was a person with disabilities or the abuse occurred at the workplace, a study centre, a care centre, or a place of worship.
The same penalty will be slapped if the perpetrator was one of those entrusted with the application of the provisions of this law, or the harm was accompanied by the use of a weapon, and also if there were multiple acts of abuse.
Another amendment enables the abused person, or his representative, to enter his residence, obtain his identification papers, and take his personal belongings.
According to the judicial sources, one of the amended articles of the Child Protection Law stated that “It is prohibited to produce, publish, display, circulate and possess any printed, visual or audio work directed at a child that addresses or provokes his instincts in a manner that encourages a behaviour contrary to the provisions of Islamic Shariah or public order or public morals, or would instigate him to behavioural or intellectual deviation.”
As per another amendment to the law, in the event of the separation of parents, the mother gets the custody rights of her children and she cannot be not deprived of this, except by a court order.
According to another amendment, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development shall coordinate with the Ministry of Health to undertake the perpetrator of child abuse or neglect to psychological treatment or rehabilitation programmes in a manner suitable to his condition.
