http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=88322&d=17&m=10&y=2006
Tuesday, 17, October, 2006 (25, Ramadhan, 1427)
Little Recourse for Family Members of Incestuous Father
Maha Akeel, Arab News
JEDDAH, 17 October 2006 - With the sole breadwinner for the family in
jail over sexual abuse allegations, his wife and children are left to the mercy
of charities and kind-hearted people.
As the man is behind bars awaiting a trial in connection with charges he
sexually abused his oldest daughter, charges he has reportedly confessed to,
the family's life has been made a living hell.
Thanks to the system, the family is unable to access the father's
financial assets. The wife and daughter cannot work without permission from the
accused man, their legal mahram (male guardian). The relatives of the family
are staying away from the torn-apart family due to the scandalous accusations.
The landlord wants them out of his building within a month.
According to the allegations, the daughter, now 22, has been a victim of
her father's deviant sexual behavior since she was three. She claims her father
raped her when she was 13. The mother says she felt powerless to do anything
about the crimes because her family didn't believe her allegations and
suspicions. (The identity of the family is being withheld due to the nature of
the crime.)
A few months ago, a maternal uncle of the mother took them to the police
to file a sexual assault case. Under pressure and interrogation, the father
admitted his crime.
The daughter, who dropped out of college due to all the stress and abuse
she suffered, has now enrolled in a computer and English course at a training
center with the help of some individuals. In time, she hopes she can find
employment.
The mother is trying to get all the assistance she can from charity
organizations, but in the end very little has been given. "Eid is around the
corner and I really want to buy a few things for the children," said the mother
of four, three girls and a teenage boy.
Some generous people have paid the back rent for the past few months and
ahead until next month, but the landlord said he would evict he family
afterward without a guarantee for future rent payments. Fortunately, a
kind-hearted person has found them another flat and is offering help in getting
them moved in.
According to a local doctor and activist in sexual abuse cases, it's good
for the family to relocate. "Actually it is much better for them to move to
another place because of all the negative memories and associations with the
current place," said Dr. Sara Abbar.
It would be better, said Dr. Abbar, if there was an established and
effective process in Saudi Arabia for handling domestic violence cases. "This
is what I mean when I say we need a strategic work plan to help abuse victims
turn their lives around. Instead of letting them continue suffering in silence
or drown after they have taken that first courageous step of filing a case,
there should be a clear program for helping them socially, psychologically and
financially," she said.
In terms of accessing the accused man's bank account, a lawyer says the
only recourse for the family is to petition directly to the top. "The only
thing they can do to access his money is to send a letter to the provincial
governor explaining the situation and asking him to permit them to access the
account," said lawyer Nasser Al-Dandani.
As long as the father is in jail, his family cannot access his account or
sell any of his property without his permission. Because he was a government
employee, the bureaucracy will have to decide if his wife is entitled to his
termination payment and pension money.
"It is up to the Civil Services Department, once a sentencing is issued,
to determine whether to end his services and give the family an end-of-service
or retirement money," said Al-Dandani.
These kinds of cases usually take a few months and more than one judge
would consider the sentencing. "He deserves to be stoned to death, as in
adultery cases, but there is no specific sentence for sexual assault, so it is
up to the judge's discretion and opinion based on the evidence," said
Al-Dandani.
In similar cases, fathers have been sentenced five to fifteen years in
prison. There are no laws in place that automatically revoke a father's custody
of children - even if the father turns out to be an incestuous rapist
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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/
