“What was published recently in some newspapers caused a lot of harm to the society and to the reputation of the members of the FWPS’ board of directors,” said Samira Khaled Al-Ghamdi, a member of the FWPS’ board, adding that the accusations are false.

She said the society has issued a press statement denying the “false allegations” and shown the authorities documents and letters disproving them.

The statement said accusations of financial, administrative and behavioral violations quoting unknown sources are untrue and that publishing them is against the Kingdom’s media law.

“Hiding the source casts doubts on the credibility of these allegations,” it added.

Commenting on supposed administrative violations, including the exit and entry of women residents at the protection home, the statement said the society is not responsible for this as this is the concern of the Department of Social Protection at the Ministry of Social Affairs.

“The society only supervises the psychological and social condition of residents,” it added.

It also said that the woman supervisor at the home, who is employed by the Department of Social Protection, referred a number of cases involving residents to the Prosecution and Investigation Commission without telling the society.

“The woman supervisor asked the FWPS to reimburse amounts of money she claimed she had given to some of the residents but when the society asked her to present bills to support her claims, she became hostile,” the statement said.

On the accusation that the FWPS allows residents to smoke, the statement said several cases were brought to light during the tenure of a former manager, who was subsequently sacked and her membership of the society canceled. “Despite these violations, she is now at the ministry,” said the statement.

It added that the FWPS is surprised at the accusations, which contradict each other by claiming that the society is repressive on the one hand and that it allows residents to leave freely on the other.

“The society tried to organize a trip for residents to visit Madinah but the chairman of the Department of Social Protection at the Ministry of Social Affairs refused. He then allowed many of them to perform Haj with their mahrams,” the statement said.

“The FWPS’ differences were aggravated further when the society refused to allow some of the badly behaving residents to leave while the chairman insisted they are allowed to do so,” it added.

On preventing families to visit residents, the society said it has not prevented anyone from visiting them except those who were violent.

On the nonavailability of medicines at the shelter home, the society said it has doctors who follow up on the medical condition of residents and has agreements with government hospitals to provide them with medical care when needed.

Regarding the suicide attempts at the shelter home, the society said this is a normal behavior as most residents are victims of domestic violence and come to the shelter home in terrible psychological condition.

On residents staying for long time at the home, the society said this is the responsibility of the Protection Department at the ministry.

“The department is the sole party responsible for admitting and discharging residents at the home,” it said.

FWPS has also denied any financial violations, adding that it has a chartered accountant who issues quarterly reports.

On charges that the society has unnecessarily spent large sums of money on film production, the statement said only four awareness films of 15 minutes each and two five-minute-long films about the society have been produced and that these were done at very low costs.