Country | Saudi Arabia |
Year | 2004 |
Type of Measure | Institutional mechanisms |
Form of Violence | Domestic violence/Intimate partner violence |
17 social protection committees have been established in 13 provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as follows: Riyadh, Dammam, al-Ahsa, Jeddah, Ta'if, Mecca, al-Qasim, Medina, Tabuk, al-Jawf, Ha'il, Arar, Abha, Bisha, al-Baha and Jizan. The social protection committees operate under the supervision of the provincial Directors-General of Social Affairs and with a membership consisting of representatives from the office of the Governor of the province, the police, the Commission for Investigation and Prosecution (CIP), the Department of Mental Health, the Ministry of Education (Boys and Girls) and the Ministry of Justice.
The committees’ task is to receive complaints of mental or physical abuse of women or child victims, ascertain their health and formulate appropriate treatment solutions. The committees focus on solving problems in an amicable manner between the two parties. They also focus on social rehabilitation through therapy and counselling sessions, and psychological rehabilitation.
Response of the Government of Saudi Arabia to the questionnaire on violence against women, April 2009; CEDAW/C/SAU/2 p. 20, 22.