While the Saudi government moves to curb domestic violence (see below), the Saudi National Society for Human Rights is calling for even more action. Asharq Alawsat carries this story about the NGO’s promotion of a specialized police unit to deal with the problem. Unfortunately, to be truly effective, such a unit would include female police officers. That would entail male and female police working together, something that the social conservatives would find unacceptable.

The organization goes further. It recommends that the premarital tests which check for the likelihood of genetic disease be expanded to include tests for addiction and psychological stability. The first of these sounds like a good idea. The second, though, raises reservations in my mind. A test for serious psychological problems could certainly be argued, but as with much of life, the devil is in the details. Exactly what conditions would be considered exclusionary, what degree of severity would be applied, and who would do the testing are problematic. It is not that long ago that ‘psychological illness’ was used by the Soviet government not just to deny marriage rights, but to imprison dissidents. With all the difficulties Saudi society is having with marriages already, one could grant the benefit of the doubt that misuse would not happen. It’d be better, though, to have safeguards built in from the start.

Saudi Ministry of Interior Considers Special Police Unit
for Domestic Violence

Jeddah: Asharq Al-Awsat – A Saudi rights activist has called for the immediate establishment of a special police unit to deal with cases of violence and sexual harassment.

Vice Chairperson of the National Society for Human Rights, Jowhara al Angari told Asharq Al-Awsat that a family police unit would contribute to curbing the phenomenon of domestic violence, which is on the rise.

Al Angari stated that the Ministry of Interior has begun practical procedures to study the proposal for establishing a special police unit to counter domestic violence.

Al Anqari highlighted the need for a raising public awareness on how to deal with- and report- cases of violence through school curricula and by training students on how to protect themselves against violence and sexual harassment. Furthermore, there is a vital need for information centres in different cities and districts as well as a register of rights for people to use as a reference.

“There must be some kind of register to detail the rights of family members. Men are aware of their rights but not of their duties. This why there is failure, violence and misunderstanding of religious teachings. For example, the Quranic phrase “hit them” (in reference to wives) is symbolic but the aggression that is being practiced contradicts Islamic teachings. This is why a register is needed to clarify the rights of family members whether male or female.”
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