Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH — Police here arrested a man for physically abusing and assaulting his children, Al-Hayat newspaper reported. Baha Police spokesman Col. Ali Tirad said the police intervened after receiving complaints that a man was abusing his children at home. “The man began assaulting his children after he divorced their mother and married another woman. Their mother was devastated by her ex-husband's second marriage and wanted full custody of the children,” said Tirad. He added the father refused to grant her custody because he was receiving social insurance for being a single parent and he did not want to lose the money. Tirad said the children's relatives and neighbors knew about the abuse and have encouraged them to report their father to the police. “The children were afraid of retaliation by their father. So, the neighbors took videos and photos of the father's abuse and posted it on social media websites. The Baha Police saw the posts and took the appropriate measure,” said Tirad. He said the police do not normally deal with cases of domestic abuse as they are sensitive cases that need the intervention of psychologists, social workers and family counselors. “We had to forward the case to the Social Affairs Office in Baha. The office replied saying the incident took place in the jurisdiction of Makkah governorate and must be dealt with by the Makkah Social Affairs Office,” said Tirad. He said the Baha Police forwarded the report to their counterparts in Makkah and the father was eventually arrested. Baha Social Affairs Director Ahmad Al-Asimi said domestic abuse cases are very sensitive. “We do not consider the abuser a criminal because we understand that there are psychological factors that lead someone to inflicting harm on his loved ones. At the same time, we are not compromising the safety and psychological well being of the victims. The case must be dealt with by the Directorate of Social Affairs in Makkah,” said Al-Asimi.
