Impact of child-protection law on child maltreatment reporting: A comparison of pre- and postlaw data from a…

Cross-sectionalJournal of family & community medicine· 2026

Impact of child-protection law on child maltreatment reporting: A comparison of pre- and postlaw data from a hospital registry.

Maha A Almuneef, Abdulrahman Aljaber, Faris Althunayan … Albandari Almutairi

Child Abuse PediatricsCross-sectionalQ2IF 1.4

Reported child maltreatment cases rose 7-fold after Saudi child protection law

Impact of child-protection law on child maltreatment reporting: A comparison of pre- and postlaw data from a hospital registry.

Maha A Almuneef … Albandari Almutairi

Journal of family & community medicine · 2026

Background

Child maltreatment (child maltreatment) is a global public health problem that affects countries at variable rates.

Purpose

The objective of the study was to compare reporting patterns of child maltreatment after the implementation of the Saudi Child Protection Law to the prelaw period.

Methods

This cross-sectional study retrospectively reviewed the cases of child maltreatment cases reported in the registry of King Abdullah Specialized Children Hospital, a governmental tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

n = 1370 patients

Results

reported maltreatment cases rose sharply after the law took effect

More results

Most prevalent finding in physical abuse cases was bruises (26.2%) followed by fractures (16.0%).

Parents were identified as the perpetrators in 77.9% cases of child maltreatment.

The reports of neglect increased by 89.2%, physical abuse increased by 38.9%, and sexual abuse decreased by 14.3%.

More results

Case fatality rate decreased from 8.3% to 3.2%.

“

Conclusion · 1 of 2

The implementation of the child protection law led to an increase in child maltreatment reporting.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

Data from the registry will enable decision makers to analyze types, trends, and magnitude of child maltreatment, and provide a foundation for the development of effective prevention programs.

Impact of child-protection law on child maltreatment reporting: A comparison of pre- and postlaw data from a hospital registry.

Impact of child-protection law on child maltreatment reporting: A comparison of pre- and postlaw data from a hospital registry.

Related papers