There are some mothers who are unaware of the sexual abuse of their children at the hands of a member of their family until it is too late. By then, physical and mental scarring may have well set in. Umm Khalid recalled how her five-year old son would wake up nightly crying and terrified. Not understanding what was wrong with her son, she decided to take him to a psychologist only to discover the bitter truth; her son had been molested. The offender was her 18-year old nephew. “I was shocked beyond belief and didn't know what to do to keep my son away from my nephew without causing my son to have any shock or guilt. I followed the psychologist's instructions and managed to surmount this catastrophe, thanks to Allah,” said Umm Khalid. A mother told the paper that her ex-husband suffered from psychological and social problems; nevertheless she sent her three-year old son to see his father periodically, never imagining that his father would abuse him. When she noticed her son behaving oddly, she took him to a doctor who confirmed evidence of sexual abuse. Armed with the medical report, she filed a lawsuit at the court. However, the court sympathized with her husband and dismissed the case under the pretext that the mother was trying to get revenge on her husband. Dr. Uhood Al-Ruhaili, psychology professor of Taiba University, is of the opinion that society still does not realize the extent of this problem and that some people believe that parents who molest their children suffer from psychotic problems and should not be punished for their crimes because they are mentally ill. In her opinion, any criminal who commits a crime should be referred to a mental health clinic for proper diagnosis and treatment, she suggested. “Psychological rehabilitation for criminals is important and prevents them from relapsing into crime.” She added that the courts should give more credence to complaints of sexual abuse raised by mothers against family members and should accept available medical reports before rendering judgment. Dr. Saleh Al-Lehaidan, legal adviser to the Royal Court, stated that any psychological reports issued by licensed mental health clinics should be accepted by the judge. “Thus, I call upon all readers who have suffered from similar cases to get a medical report from a licensed medical institution proving the case of sexual molestation before they file a lawsuit. After all, the report will be used as a strong presumption but not as evidence because in these cases only DNA results are taken as conclusive evidence,” he explained. Naif Al-Mansi, a local lawyer, concurred with Dr. Al-Lehaidan's viewpoint. However, he added that the courts do not always give weight to psychological reports. “It all depends on the judge's viewpoint. He's the one who decides whether to accept a psychological report or not. In other words, the case will rely on how the judge looks into the circumstances surrounding the case.” __
