Article 3 of the Saudi Child Protection Law

المادة 3 من نظام حماية الطفل · الفصل الأول: التعريفات والأهداف وحالات الإيذاء والإهمال

The article lists the situations that count as abuse or neglect of a child, from leaving him without family support and withholding his documents to mistreating and exploiting him and anything that threatens his safety.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

يعد إيذاء أو إهمالًا تعرض الطفل لأيٍّ مما يأتي:

1 - إبقاؤه دون سند عائلي.

2 - عدم استخراج وثائقه الثبوتية، أو حجبها، أو عدم المحافظة عليها.

3 - عدم استكمال تطعيماته الصحية الواجبة.

4 - التسبب في انقطاعه عن التعليم.

5 - وجوده في بيئة قد يتعرض فيها للخطر.

6 - سوء معاملته.

7 - التحرش به جنسيًّا، أو تعريضه للاستغلال الجنسي.

8 - استغلاله ماديًّا، أو في الإجرام، أو في التسول.

9 - استخدام الكلمات المسيئة التي تحط من كرامته أو تؤدي إلى تحقيره.

10 - تعريضه لمشاهد مخلة بالأدب، أو إجرامية، أو غير مناسبة لسنه.

11 - التمييز ضده لأي سبب عرقي، أو اجتماعي، أو اقتصادي.

12 - التقصير البيّن المتواصل في تربيته ورعايته.

13 - السماح له بقيادة المركبة دون السن النظامية.

14 - كل ما يهدد سلامته أو صحته الجسدية أو النفسية.

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 3 explained in plain English

This article sets out a practical list of situations in which a child's exposure to any of them counts as abuse or neglect, as defined in Article 1. One of them occurring is enough.

Situations relating to care and basic rights:

Leaving the child without family support.
Not obtaining his identity documents, withholding them, or not safeguarding them.
Not completing his required health vaccinations.
Causing him to be cut off from education.
Clear, continuing failure in his upbringing and care.

Situations relating to treatment and exploitation:

Mistreating him, and using abusive words that demean his dignity or lead to belittling him.
Sexually harassing him or exposing him to sexual exploitation.
Exploiting him financially, in crime, or in begging.
Discriminating against him for any racial, social or economic reason.

Situations relating to the environment and danger:

His being in an environment in which he may be exposed to danger.
Exposing him to scenes that are indecent, criminal, or unsuitable for his age.
Allowing him to drive a vehicle below the legal age.
Anything that threatens his safety or his physical or psychological health.

The last item is general, so the list is not closed. Note that failure in upbringing does not count as neglect under item 12 unless it is clear and continuing. These situations differ from the "risk of delinquency" situations mentioned in Article 4. A person who needs an assessment of a particular situation is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in personal status or criminal matters.

Practical example

The father of Salma, who is 9 years old, refuses to obtain her identity card and enroll her in school after a dispute with her mother. Not obtaining her identity documents and causing her to be cut off from education are among the situations the article counts as abuse or neglect.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

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