Al-Watan

THERE were recent reports of chaos and confusion at Dar Al-Fatayat in Makkah. The incident led to the arrest of nine of its inmates. Similar reports have been published about the same institution earlier. It shows that the Dar, which is a shelter home under the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, has been facing some problems.

The Dar authorities used to take some its inmates to girls’ schools to explain the mistakes they had committed and repent on such wrongdoings. They are also forced to talk positively on its programs and facilities. This provoked some inmates and they refused to participate in such humiliating activities. How can we describe the Dar as a caring center for such girls?

In a statement following the rioting at the Dar, Khaled Abalkhail, spokesman of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development said: “Dar Al-Fatayat is an institution that takes care of girls, teaching them social and religious values. These girls are provided with healthcare, education and vocational training.”

The statement reflects the Dar’s good objectives. At the same time it raises the question whether it has qualified staff to carry out its mission properly and efficiently.

Why do the Dar authorities humiliate its inmates to the extent that some of them commit suicide? Several such painful incidents have occurred at these social care homes in Makkah and other parts of the Kingdom during the past years. Many of the Dar inmates required psychological treatment and special care due to the trauma they faced.

We should review the condition of inmates in such shelter homes run by the ministry and discuss whether keeping such girls inside is better than keeping them at detention centers? The spokesman said women up to the age of 30 are accommodated in the Dar. A male becomes adult at 21 while a female remains minor even at the age of 30!

In heavenly as well as man-made laws there are crimes and penalties in order to establish justice and bolster security. Prisons have been established as a solution to many punishments. A person spends the sentence in prison where he is deprived of the most precious thing, which is freedom, and then comes out of it to begin his life again.

As developed countries and societies are aware that a prisoner will return to society after a long or short period, they rehabilitate him and prepare him for this exit. Jail term is a period of punishment, but it can also be used as a period for reprogramming a prisoner morally, intellectually and professionally, empowering him not to return to his devious ways.

If this is our talk about the condition of prison and prisoners who have been found guilty with their punishment has been decided, what would be the condition of women at shelter homes where girls are either held for investigation or given shelter being victims of family violence?

I believe that an independent investigation is required to know the real condition of Dar Al-Fatayat and similar shelter homes across the country as well as the condition of their inmates. This investigation should cover all government institutions that take care of boys, girls and orphans. When I was 11 years old I have seen an orphanage supervisor beating my classmate after she innocently asked her to hold her ice cream until she wears her abaya quickly!

The supervisor was telling the girl angrily with a racist tone: “Do you think I am your servant.” The fact that women institutions are closed puts them in a safe position compared to those of boys, in terms of inspection, and transformed into centers of fear and injustice.

We should study the condition of women who are admitted to these shelter homes, which serve as reformatories. If we consider them as reformatories for girls under 21, their services must be improved to meet the requirements of its inmates and help them lead a happy life.

As for those who have been implicated in a clear crime, such as adultery, for example, they should get Shariah punishment. Then why do they continue in prison. We should also review the punishment for moral crimes in general. Is there a legal punishment for khulwa or being alone with a stranger if adultery was not proven? If a young lady takes food from a restaurant with a strange man and they have not involved in any immoral practice should they deserve any punishment or monitoring by state authorities?

There are many legal bans and prohibitions observed by man for fear of God, but that is between the slave and his Lord. The state does not have any agencies to monitor a person’s salah (prayer) or Haj pilgrimage. Why should it paly with the future of young girls by imposing unnecessary punishment. In order to prevent moral crimes, we should have specific rules and regulations and the punishment should not be given at the whims and fancies of judges.

There is no crime worse than terrorism and terrorizing peaceful people and involving the country in national, regional and international problems. The government has set out a sound system to ensure a happy married life for its citizens such as counseling, premarital tests and moral and material care. Does the victim of family violence or a woman involved in misdemeanor without harming anybody else, deserve the treatment similar to a terrorist?