The Spectrum of Child Abuse Presenting to a University Hospital in Riyadh

Abstract

Background: Child abuse is prevalent worldwide, although it is often underreported. We describe the pattern of child abuse and neglect presenting to the emergency room of our hospital, the sociocultural changes which brought this about, and suggest ways to deal with this emotionally sensitive issue. Patients and Methods: Thirteen cases of child abuse and neglect were seen in the emergency room of King Khalid University Hospital over a period of one year from July 1996 to June 1997. There were four cases of non-accidental injury, three of which had serious injury. There were three cases of sexual abuse, four cases of neglect, resulting in the death of one child and severe emaciation in another. There was one suspected case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and one case of child labor with neglect. Conclusion: Public awareness of the problem of child abuse has increased, and recent media reports reflect the significance accorded to the issue. As more information is obtained on this subject and policies and guidelines are set in place, efforts at reporting and preventing physical and psychological trauma will gather momentum.

Child Abuse and Neglect in Saudi Arabia: What are We Doing and where Do We Stand?

“…Nevertheless, child abuse has recently become more visible in Saudi Arabia, 3 and a continued annual increase in the number of cases is evident from another paper published in this issue of the Annals. 4 I believe this is attributable, at least in part, to the fact that Al Ayed et al are looking carefully at every injured or neglected child for the possibility of abuse. This case report cries out for action on behalf of defenseless children, 4 and the prevention of child abuse must involve reassessing the values, practices and realities of our social life.…”

“…4 I believe this is attributable, at least in part, to the fact that Al Ayed et al are looking carefully at every injured or neglected child for the possibility of abuse. This case report cries out for action on behalf of defenseless children, 4 and the prevention of child abuse must involve reassessing the values, practices and realities of our social life. The values of a society may influence the method of child rearing at home.…”

Child Abuse in Kuwait: Problems in Management

“…It stimulated active discussions both at professional and public levels. Several reports followed from the neighbouring country of Saudi Arabia [5][6][7], a country with a similar cultural and religious background. It soon became obvious that since guidelines and legislation do not exist, work needs to be done to establish such that conform with the culture and Islamic religion [8].…”

Rhabdomyolysis and Acute Renal Failure in a Case of Child Abuse

“…In recent years, several reports of child abuse have been published in the Saudi medical literature. 4,5,7,[14][15][16][17] Most of these reports have been published from two tertiary care centers. The importance of epidemiological survey and early detection has been emphasized.…”