Saudi Gazette report MADINAH — The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has called on authorities to implement child protection laws. Sharaf Al-Qarafi, Director of NSHR's branch in Madinah, was quoted as saying by Al-Madinah newspaper that the call has come following a few recent incidents. The NSHR is following up the case of an infant who suffered for two weeks because a nurse allegedly left a needle inside his chest. The society is also following up the case of two Afghan children who ran away from home because they were allegedly mistreated by their parents. Al-Qarafi said: “We started gathering information about the case of the baby who was the victim of a botched circumcision that he underwent at a private polyclinic. “These are violent practices against innocent children. There should be a special law to protect those innocent creatures.” Meanwhile, six families in Madinah are in pain after their babies suffered botched circumcisions at the hands of an ENT specialist at a private polyclinic. The parents are worried that their babies might not be able to use their penises in the future because the doctor, who did not have any license to perform such procedures, had cut too deep into the organs' skin. A father of one of the victims said his baby's health has been deteriorating after the botched circumcision procedure. Another parent called on the authorities to refer all victims to advanced hospitals in the Kingdom for proper treatment. Dr. Hassan Sani, associate professor of psychology at Taiba University, described what happened to the children as a major disaster that will have an impact on their mental health, especially as they might not be able to enjoy a married life and have children. “Those children and their families need to undergo a comprehensive psychological rehabilitation program to help them come to terms with their condition and life. “A hope of recovery should be instilled in their minds.” Dr. Salih Khawaja, plastic surgery consultant, offered a glimmer of hope to parents of the victims. He said it is possible to reconstruct the victims' genital areas. When the victims turn 10, they can undergo several skin grafts to repair the affected areas. He noted that there are several specialist hospitals in the Kingdom that can perform this type of operation. Muhammad Al-Qayedi, director of the polyclinic where the children had the circumcisions, said he has provided the Madinah Health Affairs with all the information they needed about the doctor. Sulaiman Al-Khareef, a lawyer, said medical error compensation ranges between SR90,000 to SR150,000 in the Kingdom while in other countries it can reach SR500,000 to SR1 million. He said no case on this issue has taken place in the Kingdom before.
