JEDDAH, 9 August 2006 — Police have begun a crackdown to close illegally fenced-off properties that pose a risk to security. The crackdown comes following a decision by a committee consisting of various government departments to beef up security in the region.
The region is filled with fenced-off enclosures, which are made using tin sheets and cardboard and are mostly occupied by illegal Africans.
Similarly, the committee has also decided to stop vehicles, without proper licenses, from transporting household waste including bottles, waste metals and plastic. The decision is part of a wider move to bring an end to the flourishing trade of rag-picking by African women.
Garbage picking and the selling of unhygienic food are trades that have been on the rise in the poor districts of Jeddah, particularly under bridges. Most of the people involved in the trade tend to be poor African women.
The women cook food and snacks that are particular to their native countries at the enclosures in the districts such as Karantina, Sabil and Ghulail where poor expatriates of various countries are found in large numbers. Other foreigners make money by peddling vegetables in these districts.
In their latest move to end the increasing practice of open-air food sales in the poor districts of Jeddah, police arrested 18 African women from the Karantina who were selling items on the sidewalk. Police also seized three tons of unhygienic vegetables and meat.
The police campaign includes a plan to raid other downtown and southern districts of Jeddah. The practice of open-air sale of cooked food is mainly patronized by poor laborers and illegal expatriates.
One of the major obstacles faced by agencies fighting the sale of unhygienic food is the non-cooperation from local residents who do not heed official warnings about the health risks involved in eating the food. It is also observed that the food peddlers generally operate at strategic locations where they can easily escape inspectors.
With 80 percent of its population being expatriates, Karantina has the largest concentration of poor Africans in Jeddah.
Women who work as rag-pickers say they work to earn money as their husbands do not have regular work or a steady income. The increasing population in the southern districts has also led to irregular construction practices. Roads in south Jeddah are extremely narrow making it difficult for cars to travel.
The municipal authorities are currently planning to make sure buildings in these districts are constructed in a legal way with spacious roads facilitating fast entry and exit. The moves are also part of a drive to end increasing criminal activities in such neighborhoods.
Stings Bust Prostitution Dens
An undercover sting operation in Jeddah netted members of prostitution networks run by foreign residents, press reports said yesterday. This network recruited women who overstayed their visas and maids that escaped from their employers.
The bust netted several unrelated men and women living together in the Baghdadiya, Al-Aziziya and Al-Rawdah districts. Police confiscated some stolen goods and undisclosed sexual enhancement medications.
