Article 9 of the Saudi Child Protection Law

المادة 9 من نظام حماية الطفل · الفصل الثالث: المحظورات المتصلة بحماية الطفل

The article prohibits sexually exploiting a child or exposing a child to forms of sexual exploitation, and also prohibits trafficking in a child for crime or begging.

Official text (Arabic)

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

يحظر استغلال الطفل جنسيًّا، أو تعريضه لأشكال الاستغلال الجنسي، أو المتاجرة به في الإجرام أو التسول.

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 9 explained in plain English

This article contains two main prohibitions concerning the gravest forms of assault on a child:

Sexual exploitation: it is prohibited to sexually exploit a child, and also to expose a child to forms of sexual exploitation, so the prohibition is not limited to whoever carries out the exploitation but includes whoever puts the child in a position that exposes the child to it.
Trafficking in the child: it is prohibited to traffic in a child for crime or begging, meaning to use the child as a means of making a gain in a criminal activity or in collecting money through begging.

The child here is anyone who has not exceeded eighteen, and sexual abuse under Article 1 is the child's exposure to any type of sexual assault, harm or exploitation, which is among the forms of abuse the Law punishes.

This article is part of the series of prohibitions in Chapter Three: before it is the prohibition on employing a child in Article 8, and after it is the prohibition on using a child in places where drugs are produced or traded in Article 10.

The article does not state a particular penalty. In actual cases it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.

Practical example

It is discovered that a person in Makkah gathers children, sends them out to beg at traffic lights and takes what they collect. This act is trafficking in children for begging, which this article prohibits.

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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