A systematic review was conducted to find out what is known about the prevalence and nature of physical child abuse in Saudi. The review identified 15 abuse prevalence studies carried out in Saudi Arabia between 1998 and 2016, written in English or Arabic. An analysis of these revealed the known prevalence of different types of child abuse, the relationship of the abuser to the victim, and the level of awareness among school professionals of procedures and programs in Saudi to protect children from abuse. The review revealed many shortcomings of existing literature, including a paucity of published studies, lack of rigor in research design, an absence of data from many parts of the country, and an emphasis on hospital reports rather than data collected directly from victims. Studies conducted to date suggest that physical abuse of children is more widespread and severe in the Kingdom than previously acknowledged.
Until recently, the subject of child abuse in Saudi Arabia received very little attention. It was only in the 1990s that cases of child abuse and neglect began to be reported by the Saudi medical profession. A comprehensive, systematic review of the published literature available since that time is presented here. The paucity of research conducted to date is reflected in the fact that only nine articles were found that satisfied the selection criteria, plus four others identified through a search of grey literature. An appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of these studies. The relevant work that has been published indicates that child abuse, of various types, exists within Saudi Arabia but the research does not provide sufficient statistical evidence to be able to determine the extent of the problem. However, there are indications in the published literature of some of the factors that may contribute to child abuse in the Kingdom. These include cultural and societal attitudes, and income and educational levels of parents. Another contributing influence on child abuse in Saudi Arabia appears to be the lack of legislation or legal clarity to protect the rights of minors. Although the review found that there are some government and private initiatives aimed at addressing the issue, these remain inadequate because no formal unifying organization yet exists. A summary of the findings and their implications is followed by a discussion of where further research is needed to fill the gaps in present knowledge of the child abuse problem in Saudi Arabia. Recommendations for future work are made in the hope that this will lead to increased awareness of this important and long-neglected issue among professionals and public alike.
Child neglect, through physical, mental, and emotional deprivation, is a worldwide phenomenon. However, until comparatively recently, scientific data and academic research on it within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) had been extremely limited due to the conservative nature of the society in this country. A systemic review was conducted, using several databases, including those of Cross Search, Social Sciences Citation Index, two Saudi universities, and manual searches of key journals of literature on child neglect in KSA published between 1990 and 2016. The results of this review are presented, which summarize the present state of knowledge of child neglect in Saudi Arabia and what progress has been made toward a full understanding of the extent and nature of the problem. The statistical evidence currently available on the incidence and prevalence of neglect is displayed together with qualitative information on cases of neglect that have been documented by doctors, social workers, and other professionals working in the field. The present state of provision of government programs to assist and support victims of child neglect in Saudi Arabia is considered and contrasted with the services available in other, predominantly Western nations. It is noted that, in addition to a still-inadequate level of investment in this area, present programs in the Kingdom are not well-suited to preventing neglect in the first place. Recommendations are made as to what steps could be taken in the future to improve and expand Saudi provision of care to address this problem.
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