Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette

The National Day is an opportunity to stress the importance of unity and everyone should work to protect this unity. This can be achieved through protecting human rights, and National Day marks a time when we have to exert more efforts to protect individual rights, says Husssain Al-Sharif, head of the National Society for Human Rights in Makkah region, which now has 18 members of both genders.



Al-Sharif said the formation of the NSHR and Human Rights Commission as well as the National Anti-Corruption Commission was a good step toward protecting the rights of Saudis and expatriates alike.



“One of the main cases the NSHR is fighting at the moment involves a disabled Saudi girl who wants to pursue higher studies in medicine but is being prevented from doing so by a local university. This is a special case that we are working on. The university which the girl has applied to is not agreeing to let her study medicine on account of her disability. We are not considering this case as an individual one, instead it symbolizes the struggle of a segment in our society, which is the disabled people,” he said.



The NSHR’s branch in Jeddah is currently studying 400 cases. It receives from 5 to 15 cases for counseling on a daily basis aside from countless phone calls, said Al-Sharif.



He said the NSHR writes a full report after every visit members make to a certain location or when reporting a case. Asked if the society’s reports generate any response from government bodies, he said the NSHR appreciates the reactions it receives from the Makkah governorate and Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution. He added that they had a tough time dealing with the Office of Social Affairs but hopes things will improve with the appointment of a new head at its Jeddah office.



“We cannot say that we do not get any reactions at all from government departments and at the same time we do not receive a full response. We have sent 185 official letters to concerned authorities and received 41 replies,” he said.



Al-Sharif said the major issues expatriates face are discrimination and the sponsorship system, which is rife with countless violations, including nonpayment of salaries, delays in the issuance and renewal of residency permits (iqamas) and Saudi sponsors confiscating important documents.



He said cases involving domestic helpers are few and most of them involve nonpayment of salaries. However, domestic violence cases are increasing day by day.



Asked about the NSHR’s future plans, he said it will continue to conduct surprise field visits to different places and government bodies, receive complaints from the public and expand training programs, “We are scheduling a seminar on dangerous pesticides, especially those that have claimed a number of lives over the years.”



According to Al-Sharif, the NSHR will follow up all complaints from the public. “We cannot interfere unless the concerned individual asks for our help,” he said. “Another situation that prevents us from interfering is when a case is transferred to the judicial system. Our role then is restricted to ensuring that the person has legal representation and is receiving a fair trial.”



In 2011, the society closely followed up the case of a school that caught fire in Jeddah. “We contacted both the Civil Defense and the Ministry of Education, met with their representatives, and we filed a report about the issue to the concerned authorities. We also sent our representative to ensure that the victims received proper medical, psychological and social care.”



The NSHR also paid a visit to Rabigh and wrote a report on the city after visiting its hospital and main prison. The report was written in view of the comments and complaints received from the public. “We also met with the governor of the city and such visits will continue,” added Al-Sharif.

Other places that the society has visited include the anti-beggary office, social care center, the section at King Abdulaziz International Airport where maids are received and a neighborhood in east Jeddah where people complained of a general lack of cleanliness.



The society has also reported delays in medical projects in Jeddah and has received promises from the Ministry of Health to speed up projects.

“Last year the society organized a number of seminars in the field of discrimination, freedom of press, women’s legal rights,” he added.