http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=92747&d=26&m=2&y=2007
Monday, 26, February, 2007 (08, Safar, 1428)
Commission Proposed to Protect Women and Children
Raid Qusti, Arab News
RIYADH, 26 February 2007 - Saudi Arabia is studying the
establishment of a nationwide system under which a supreme commission would be
established to protect women and children from violence.
The proposal, prepared by the King Khaled Charitable Society,
has been forwarded by the Ministry of Social Affairs to the Council of
Ministers, according to Dr. Maha Al-Muneef, president of the National Family
Safety Program in the National Guard Hospital.
"This system, if it is established, would have wide
legislative powers to make laws and regulations to eradicate and combat
violence against women and children," she told Arab News.
"It is now with the committee in the Cabinet. We hope that it
is established within the next few months," she added.
Al-Muneef said she was hopeful that the nationwide program
would endorse the Family Safety Program which has been operating under orders
from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah since November 2005.
Al-Muneef noted the importance of appointing both men and
women from the public and private sectors as members of the commission. "Any
civil government commission that studies violence against women and children
cannot be a male-only government body," she said.
She also stressed the importance of appointing experienced
and qualified people for jobs in the commission. "You cannot appoint someone
who does not know anything about violence against women and children and have
him head the commission," said Al-Muneef.
Speaking at the Arab Child Health Conference in Riyadh,
Al-Muneef said that violence against women and children "was on the rise in the
Kingdom."
"Violence against women and children should be fought just
like any other problem such as AIDS or cancer," she said, pointing out that as
in many Arab countries, coordination between government bodies is a problem.
"Our problem is that each of our ministries works on its own."
Dr. Samia Halileh from the Institute of Community and Public
Health, Bir Zeit University in Ramallah, Palestine, presented a paper,
"Violence and Negligence of Children in Occupied Palestinian Areas."
She said physical abuse heads the list of problems among
Palestinian children; it is followed by psychological, general and sexual abuse
in that order.
Dr. Pamela Beih from Morocco said child abuse was rampant in
the Arab world and blamed social taboos and local traditions.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
See what's inside the new Yahoo! Groups email.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/0It09A/bOaOAA/yQLSAA/uTGrlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
