JEDDAH: Juvenile inmates at a reformatory in Jeddah have requested the intervention of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) to protect their rights and improve living conditions at the facility.
They made this request when the NSHR delegation led by Hussein Al-Sharief, supervisor of the society in Jeddah, visited them yesterday.
Some of the inmates have been in the facility for more than a year without trial. Others, mostly foreigners, are still in detention even after completing their term because their countries’ missions failed to make necessary arrangements for their repatriation.
The inmates have complained about reformatory officials beating them, preventing visits by relatives and crude body search, as well as poor quality food, living quarters and air-conditioning.
Al-Sharief told the inmates that the NSHR would take up their issues with relevant authorities. He urged officials at the reformatory to keep a book explaining the rights of inmates and prohibited things. He said the delegation had noticed a shortage of staff at the health center.
“We also found that the kitchen at the reformatory was unclean and full of cockroaches,” Al-Sharief said, adding that prices of foodstuffs at the canteen were high.
The delegation found that the teachers at the school inside the reformatory had not received any training to deal with juvenile delinquency.
Al-Sharief called upon the interior minister to give his directives to officials to replace damaged furniture at the center.
“We will present a report to relevant authorities about what we have seen today at the reformatory,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Social Affairs should take immediate action to improve the condition of supervisors at the center by increasing their salaries and benefits. The delegation distributed booklets named “Know your rights” among the inmates.
Shakir Al-Azouri, director of the center, said a new building for the center would be constructed north of Jeddah.
He said the center adopted a punishment regime to maintain discipline. “We welcome the proposals of the society to improve services,” he said.
Al-Azouri said the center offers computer courses to inmates. He said there are 80 expatriate youths in the center. Two Jordanian youths, who came on Umrah visas and were arrested for stealing, had not contacted their families back home for the last six months, he said, adding that Jordanian consular officials visited them only once. “There are many inmates who do not speak Arabic,” Azouri said. “We have seen only Western embassies take proper care of their nationals at the center.”
