Peer-reviewed article
Child maltreatment and protection in the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A scoping review.
Neville SE, Zidan T, Williams A, Rotabi-Casares KS ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This scoping review examined 160 peer-reviewed studies on child maltreatment and protection in six Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Research focused mainly on physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse, with Saudi Arabia being the most studied country. The review found that while medical research on maltreatment is growing, major gaps exist in intervention research and understanding of family dynamics, culture, and spirituality relevant to the region.
Key points
- 160 peer-reviewed articles were included across six GCC countries, with 87 on Saudi Arabia, 28 on UAE, 21 on Kuwait, 13 on Qatar, 12 on Oman, and 11 on Bahrain
- Physical abuse was the most studied form of maltreatment (77 articles), followed by sexual abuse and emotional abuse (54 articles each)
- Research themes included prevalence and characteristics of maltreatment, outcomes associated with maltreatment, attitudes and reporting, accidental injury and death from neglect, and policy and practice
- Intervention research is lacking in the region
- Cross-sectoral collaboration among education, social work, law enforcement, and healthcare is needed to safeguard children's rights
Limitations
This is a scoping review that maps existing research rather than evaluating the effectiveness of any intervention. It does not synthesize evidence on what works to prevent or respond to child maltreatment, only identifies themes and gaps in published literature.
Abstract
Background Research on child maltreatment and protection in the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries-Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-is limited but growing, as is child protection as a sector. Objectives We aimed to identify themes and gaps in existing research on child maltreatment and protection, identify opportunities for building capacity in research and practice. Participants and setting N/A. Methods We conducted a scoping review of empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals in English and Arabic and reported methods and findings according to the PRISMA-ScR reporting protocol. Articles were coded by country, topic of research, and type of abuse studied, if any. Results Our database search returned 6109 articles and 160 articles were included in our review. Themes included (1) prevalence, incidence, and characteristics of maltreatment, (2) outcomes associated with maltreatment, (3) attitudes, awareness, and reporting, (4) accidental injury and death potentially associated with neglect, (5) policy and practice. Eighty-seven articles studied Saudi Arabia, while 28 studied the UAE, 21 Kuwait, 13 Qatar, 12 Oman, and 11 Bahrain. Physical abuse was studied in 77 articles, followed by sexual abuse in 54 articles and emotional abuse in 54. Conclusion Although the medical community produces an encouraging volume of child maltreatment research, gaps remain. Intervention research is lacking, and further inquiry into family dynamics, culture, and spirituality could inform the development of effective interventions. Cross-sectoral collaboration among education, social work, law enforcement, and healthcare is also needed to safeguard children's rights in the GCC.