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Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's First Law On Domestic Abuse, But Husbands Still Have Control

SAUDI GAZETTE, BBC, LE MONDE ( France)

Worldcrunch

RIYADH – For the first time in Saudi Arabia, a new law has been passed that prohibits all forms of physical and sexual abuse, a measure hailed by human rights groups as a breakthrough in protecting women and children.

Sources at the Ministry of Social Affairs told the Saudi Gazette newspaper that the law, officially approved by the cabinet on August 26, would treat as an offense all forms of exploitation, as well as physical, psychological and sexual abuse or threat of abuse, both at home and in the workplace.

Until now, violence against women and children inside Saudi homes has been legally considered a private matter. Le Monde reports that the law nevertheless still requires a woman to obtain her husband's permission to file such a complaint, which the Saudi National Society for Human Rights noted will still de facto shield many abusive men from prosecution.

Those who are reported could now face a minimum jail term of one month and a maximum of one year, or fines up to $13,000. In case of repeat offenders, the punishment will be doubled, reports the Saudi Gazette . The law also stipulates that anyone who knows about any cases must immediately report it to the authorities.

Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja told the Saudi Press Agency that provisions in the law also offer shelter, assistance, and psychological, social and health care for victims.

Saudi Arabia's first public campaign ad against domestic violence features a woman in a niqab with a black eye.

He also said that a specific provision in the law is meant to prevent abuses at workplaces. In the private and public sector, workers who know about any case of abuse shall report it.

The law was welcomed as a positive step by several prominent figures, as it can curb domestic violence in a society still utterly dominated by men. However, a women’s rights activist told the BBC that the law needed to be fully implemented.

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Society

Netflix And Chills: The German Formula Of “Dear Child” That's Driving Its Success

The German thriller has made it to the “top 10” list of the streaming platform in more than 90 countries by breaking away from conventional German tropes.

Screengrab from Netflix's Dear Child, showing two children, a boy and a girl, hugging a blonde woman.

An investigator reopens a 13-year-old missing persons case when a woman and a child escape from their abductor's captivity.

Dear Child/Netflix
Marie-Luise Goldmann

-Analysis-

BERLIN — If you were looking for proof that Germany is actually capable of producing high-quality series and movies, just take a look at Netflix. Last year, the streaming giant distributed the epic anti-war film All Quiet on the Western Front, which won four Academy Awards, while series like Dark and Kleo have received considerable attention abroad.

And now the latest example of the success of German content is Netflix’s new crime series Dear Child, (Liebes Kind), which started streaming on Sep. 7. Within 10 days, the six-part series had garnered some 25 million views.

The series has now reached first place among non-English-language series on Netflix. In more than 90 countries, the psychological thriller has made it to the Netflix top 10 list — even beating the hit manga series One Piece last week.

How did it manage such a feat? What did Dear Child do that other productions didn't?

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