Nora was returned home to the Kingdom by a known national charitable association that cares for the affairs and well-being of families and children of Saudi fathers who do not commit to their responsibility.

Nora tells the member paid her a visit in the rented flat the association provided for her and her fifteen-year-old brother, when he claimed there was a family with him, consisting of a mother and two girls, that needed shelter for the night until they were settled in another flat. Nora says she accepted to accommodate the family in her one-bedroom flat reluctantly, but was surprised to find the man alone at her doorstep.

“Yes, my brother was with me, but he is very young and cannot be considered a guardian. Besides, I am a young and single girl who should not receive a strange man at home,” says Nora. Nevertheless, given that he was ­— supposedly — a respected member of the association responsible for her, it was difficult for her to refuse him entrance in the apartment.

Nora then discussed with him the next step the association would take with regards to settling her in a permanent place, completing her identification and documentation, and finding her a job. “He was not paying attention and sat on my coach in a very disrespectful way,” says Nora. When he suggested to sleep over in the only bedroom, she felt uncomfortable, although he added that it was only a joke. Nora, however, could not appreciate the undertone of the joke.

“Then, when I told him I would like to live in Jeddah as I have an aunt there, he said that he would get me a flat on one condition: That he lives in it with me,” says Nora, adding that when she mouthed her resentment to his indications and suggestions, he just got up and made a fast exit.

Nora then filed a complaint through the social services of the association and the administrative officer, and is currently waiting for an action to be taken. “Although I am frustrated with waiting for me and my brother’s papers to be finalized so I can start looking for a job and put him at school, I am now more frustrated and scared to trust anyone” relates Nora.

A source in the association told Arab News that Nora had reported the incident to one of the administration officers, who promised to file her complaint to an official. When Arab News called the officer, he refused to comment on the story.

On the other hand, the director general for charitable associations and societies at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Moshawwah Al-Hoshan said that the ministry did not receive any complaint about or from the association in concern. Al-Hoshan pointed out that the associations and societies are under complete supervision of the ministry, both on the technical and the administrative level: “There should be officers from the associations to follow up on the cases of families and individuals and their conditions.”

In the cases of Nora and other family members, who have no traveling documents and are brought back into the country by an association, a single journey document is issued to enable them to come to the Kingdom, until their official papers are sorted out. This usually takes place in coordination with the Kingdom’s embassies in the countries the association works in.

Yet the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not interfere in the work of those associations. “We offer logistic support to the philanthropic and charitable associations by facilitating their work in the countries where Saudis live” says Ambassador Osama Al-Nugali, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointing out that the administrative steps are the societies’ responsibility.