Written by Abdul Ilah bin Ahmad Al-Ghannami

Child abuse and mistreatment are one of the problems faced by a segment of our children who are under the age groups that include early, middle and late childhood. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), ratified by the Kingdom, stated that the child is every human being below the age of 18 years old unless he comes to age earlier under the law, and what these children find from their parents or siblings older than them within the families they live in, their peers, their colleagues in the school or the institution in which they learn, or some of the teachers or those older than them that may cause them physical or psychological harm or through sexual harassment and mistreatment that could lead to health, physical, psychological or social complications, is considered child abuse.

What prompted me to write this article is the prevalence of domestic violence against children

Regardless of the humanitarian and educational aspects, our discussion will be focused on the legal aspects and what had been stated in the Child Protection Law issued in 1436 AH.

It is undeniable that violence against children has spread widely in our Saudi society.

Thus, we ask this question, does anyone have the right to harm or neglect children? To answer this question, one must know who a child is. The Child Protection Law stated a definition for the child: Any human being who did not pass the age of 18 years old.

This means that anyone below this mentioned age is considered a child in the eyes of the Law.

With respect to the problem of abuse, the Child Protection Law had defined the abuse as: Every form of child abuse or exploitation, or the threat to do so, including:

• Physical Abuse: The child’s exposure to bodily harm or injury.
• Psychological Abuse: The child’s exposure to mistreatment that may cause them psychological or health damage.
• Sexual Abuse: The child’s exposure to any kind of sexual assault, abuse or exploitation.

The Child Protection Law had defined “Negligence” as follows: Non-provision of the child’s basic needs or failure to do so, which include: The physical, health, emotional, psychological, pedagogical, educational, intellectual, social, cultural, and security needs.

It must be taken into account that children are entitled to be protected from all forms of abuse or negligence.

Additionally, (The parents of the child, or one of them, or the person who takes care of them, are considered responsible within their financial capacities and capabilities for the child’s education and for ensuring their rights, along with providing them with care and protection from abuse and negligence).

Finally, we must mention what God Almighty said (Wealth and sons are the adornment of the present world).

In consideration of our role model the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him), we remember this famous story about him.

Abdullah bin Shaddad narrated: “While the Prophet (Peace Be upon him) was leading the people in prayer, Hasan or Husain came to him. Muhdi said: it’s most likely that Husain jumped on his back, and so he prolonged the prostration to the point that people thought something had happened while prostrating. When he finished praying, they said: O Messenger of God, you prostrated for a long time during the prayer that we thought that something had happened?! He said: My son was riding on my back and I did not want to disturb him until he had relieved himself.