RIYADH — The Ministry of Social Affairs has launched the Center for Violence and Abuse Reports on Sunday. Social Affairs Minister Majed Al-Qasabi said the center is located in Riyadh. "The launching ceremony included the attendance of President of the Human Rights Commission Dr. Bandar Al-Aiban and Deputy Minister of Social Care Abdullah Al-Muaiqil. The Center for Violence and Abuse Reports will open as an extension of the Center for Reports with the latest technologies and operation systems," said Al-Qasabi. He added the employees at the center are all highly qualified and trained Saudi women available to receive reports of domestic violence and abuse. "The center has around 70 operators and employee, all of which are Saudi women who are experts in their respective fields. The center with a hotline 1919 is open 24 hours a day all days of the week," said Al-Qasabi. He also said all reports are confidential and the identity of the caller will never be revealed. "The center is mainly open to women of all ages, children under 18 years, the elderly and people with special needs and disabilities. The operators follow a certain protocol in dealing with and processing the reports the center receives," said Al-Qasabi. Her added once the report is verified, the center contacts the nearest protection unit or team who are trained to deal to protect the victims of violence and abuse tactfully. "The protection team members are trained to have children and women as their top priorities when barging into a violence and abuse incident. The team are also trained to deal with the sensitive situation and understand that the abuser is linked to the victim," said Al-Qasabi. He added the protection team understands that the victim may be traumatized further if the authorities were to criminalize the abuse right away. "The team is trained to try and consolidate ties between the victim and the abuser. If the abuser or the victim refuse to forgive and apologize, the team forwards the abuser to the pertinent authorities for further prosecution," said Al-Qasabi. He added the team is also trained to not reveal the identity of the victim to any external parties. "There are over 22 protection teams in various provinces and regions all over the Kingdom. The operators classify the reports based on the level of danger the victim is under. In cases of high danger, the abuser is immediately prosecuted," said Al-Qasabi.
