JEDDAH — A fresh domestic violence case has been registered at the Jeddah Social Protection Committee (JSPC). The victim is a nine-year-old boy with burn scars all over his body caused by scalding water administered by none other than his biological father and mother. The case was brought to the JSPC's attention by a neighbor who filed a complaint against the parents, according to JSPC chairman, Salih Al-Ghamdi. In his complaint, the man charged that the boy has suffered a lot at the hands of his own merciless parents. JSPC used the help of police to bring the father and the son to its headquarters in order that social workers examine the boy. When the JSPC chairman saw the boy, he could not believe his own eyes. “The boy was literally in a pitiful condition. A social worker and a psychiatrist saw him and decided to refer him to the hospital for treatment and medical checkup,” Al-Ghamdi added. Police preliminary investigations indicate that the parents tried at some point to get rid of their own flesh and blood. When the reporter asked the boy why his parents did that, he said. “My dad and mom don't want me.” His parents did not even enroll him in school or care about his health condition. He told the reporter how his parents subjected him to various types of torture and beat him up when he was being disobedient or whenever he would wet himself. Sometimes, they would lock him up in his room for days on end. The boy has three brothers and one sister. “This is a criminal act which should not go unpunished,” Al-Ghamdi said adding that nothing could have justified the cruel punishment cruel parents inflicted on their own son. “They should be punished,” he said. JSPC receives about 25-30 cases of domestic violence against women and children monthly, Al-Ghamdi pointed out. Social workers have noticed that domestic violence where the victims are children is on the increase. Civil society institutions, the media, and the imams of mosques have a role to play in educating families about the way they should treat their children and urging them to be God-fearing parents, he said. Director of Makkah Region Social Affairs Abdullah Al-Tawee said the victims of domestic violence can get protection from the committee formed for dealing with the victims of sexual harassment, physical abuse, and other forms of torture and mistreatment. Last year, Makkah Social Affairs dealt with 250 domestic violence cases involving children and women.
