On 26 August Saudi Arabia passed a law criminalising domestic violence in the home and workplace. The legislation prohibits physical, sexual and other forms of abuse for the first time. It provides for legal, medical and psychological assistance for victims of domestic violence and places the onus on law enforcement agencies to follow up allegations of abuse.
The new legislation provides for penalties including up to 12 months imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 riyals (€10,000). Penalties may be doubled for repeat offenders.
Previously, domestic violence was dealt with under a general penal code based on Sharia law principles, with discretion left to judges about how to treat domestic violence. Many interpreted Sharia law as being sympathetic to perpetrators of domestic violence and often treated domestic abuse as a private matter.
Saudi Arabia has long been criticised for its human rights violations, particularly its treatment of women. The World Economic Forum has listed it as among the worst five countries in which to be a woman. Activists have hailed the new legislation as an important first step in challenging attitudes to women, but have raised concerns about the practicality of enforcing the law. In Saudi Arabia women are prohibited from driving and require the permission of a male guardian for activities such as employment and travel outside the country. Many victims of domestic abuse would have to rely on their abusers to drive them to the police station to even file a complaint.
Commenting on the legislation, Joe Stork, acting Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch, stated “Saudi Arabia has finally banned domestic abuse, but has yet to say which agencies will police the new law. Without effective mechanisms to punish domestic abuse, this law is merely ink on paper”
The legislation is the result of a campaign by the NGO King Khalid Foundation (KKF). KKF ran a controversial poster campaign earlier this year picturing a woman wearing a burqa with visible bruises around one eye with the slogan in Arabic “some things cannot be hidden”. The NGO published proposed legislation entitled “Women and Child Abuse Prevention Law” which was adopted by the government of Saudi Arabia. This is the first time that legislation researched and proposed by an NGO was adopted by the government.
Click here to read an article in the Independent.
Click here to read an article on Jurist.org
Click here to read an article on Human Rights Watch.