THE Ministry of Interior recently announced the execution of a Saudi convicted of torturing and beating his wife to death. Here the horror is not in the murder itself but how the victim was killed. This crime surpassed the genius of a devil incarcerated at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and Siberian prisons. It is an inexplicable crime as far as normal people are concerned. The man kicked her after locking her up in a room and beat her with his hands, headband, stick and a wrench. The man bashed her head violently on the ground. He burned her with cigarette butts as well as hot steel spoons and iron. After all that, he strangled her to death. He is a criminal who deserves this fair punishment. But what did the poor woman do to die in such a gruesome manner? Who will support others in similar situations? A terrifying video clip posted on YouTube showed a father threatening his little daughter, who couldn't have been more than two. He threatened to throw her into a swimming pool. Paying no heed to her cries, the man frightened the girl several times by almost throwing her into the pool and asking onlookers not to help her. One week ago, a Saudi father's attempt to discipline his 15-year-old son by beating him mercilessly resulted in the teenager's death. It was revealed during investigations that the man had planned to bury his son in a cemetery but couldn't do so because he didn't have a burial permit. He took the body to a hospital and said his son had fallen from the roof of the house. But doctors noticed cuts in the victim's head and several bruises and contusions on different parts of his body. Soon they contacted the local police about the case. Subsequently the father was arrested, and he admitted to his crime. It was also revealed that other members of his family had been tortured by him. We have been without laws to combat domestic violence for a long time until a few months ago when the Shoura Council enacted such legislation. The law is yet to be fully implemented as it still awaits approval from the higher authorities. The new law, which has 17 articles, aims to provide protection from various kinds of abuse, in addition to extending help and treatment such as shelter and health, mental and social care. It also includes statutory procedures to hold offenders accountable for their crimes and punish them with jail terms and fines. There are also provisions in the law to spread awareness among members of society about domestic abuse and its consequences, as well as to address behavioral and environmental trends that lead to such violence. Perhaps this law would prevent such abuses that are degrading to humanity.
