The first scientific forum focusing on domestic violence in the Saudi society was inaugurated here on Tuesday. The forum at King Fahd Hospital, organized by Dr. Sami Badawood, Director of the Health Affairs Management in Jeddah and Dr. Ali Al-Hanaki, General Manager of Social Affairs in Makkah, was aimed at training government hospital staff how best to treat domestic violence cases, said Abdul Rahman Al-Sahafi, Public Relations Officer in Health Affairs Department of Jeddah. Dr. Badawood said the forum, initiated under the patronage of the Ministry of Health, is the first step to resist domestic violence, which has increased many folds in the last three years. A protective staff in every government and private hospital would be prepared to tackle such cases and inform the police, he said. “Preparations had been on for 6 months, and we toured about 45 government and private hospitals in the Kingdom to gather the best of doctors and psychiatrists who are part of the protective team,” said Dr. Nwaf Al-Harthi, Head of the Protective Team and Psychological Health Hospital Manager. Al-Harthi said Jeddah was the only province in the Kingdom that has taken this important step to combat social violence. Badawood said problems of domestic violence like child abuse have been discussed in the media, but in an un-scientific way. Their psychological effects, treatment according to Shariah, have well been ignored. The forum discussed several cases of domestic violence where children, women and aged people have been victims. The panel of experts encouraged the people to inform the Social Affairs, police or protective teams about violence they encounter or notice in the society. __
