JEDDAH, 7 March 2007 — Single mothers and divorcees are a growing phenomenon in the Kingdom. With the gradual breakdown of the extended family structure many single women complain that the authorities do not provide them with welfare on trivial grounds forcing them to continue living miserable lives. Many even resort to begging.
A missing document or a lazy ex-husband who failed to register the births of his children are enough to prompt government officials to turn down applications for welfare. One such case is that of a Saudi mother, who is divorced with nine children, the eldest of which is 22 and the youngest is only five. The woman preferred to remain anonymous.
The mother, who is 45 years old, says she is living on handouts. “My husband left us without any reason. We went to the authorities asking for financial support, but they refused because we didn’t have the proper documents,” she said.
“The children’s relationship to their father cannot be proved. He didn’t register their births and he didn’t even bother changing his ID card to say he was married. We don’t even have a family card. All I have to prove our relationship is a marriage contract,” she added.
Another such single woman is Samia, who grow up in an orphanage, which she describes as being very spartan. “I finished primary school and then high school. I wanted to study further but the atmosphere at the orphanage wasn’t very helpful,” she said.
Samia then got married to a man who divorced her after only six months of marriage. “I ended up on the street. It was then that I got to know some good girls who themselves were orphans. I told them about my wish to continue my education. They helped me out quite a lot and I managed to complete a course in social science at university,” she said.
“I’ve applied for loads of jobs at the Civil Services Office but I’m always left disappointed. It’s been four years now and I’ve still not got a job,” she said.
Samia says she’s unable to get references and that is what prevents her from getting a job.
At a charity house in Jeddah, an official said, “There are people living in severe poverty without electricity, water and other types of utilities. They live in old shelters that are unfit for living.”
The charity provides them with necessary assistance. “At the moment we’re helping around 2,000 individuals,” said the official.
Al-Gazy bint Muhammad Al-Shubaiky, a social researcher, speaking about the problems facing poor Saudi women, said, “Women poverty wasn’t so profound before the recent economic changes that took place in Saudi society. In those days poverty used to affect the entire society, not just women.”
Al-Shubaiky added, “There were no differences between individuals, because people lived in tight-knit communities. The family setup was like a tribe and people lived with their extended families. This was instrumental in satisfying the needs of less well-off people in family units. But now, families don’t live like they used to. The tribal support that families enjoyed in bygone days have been replaced with government organizations. Destitute people can be ignored sadly.”
Professor Wafaa Al-Saedy, head of Makkah’s Social Protection Department, called on the Social Welfare Department to take quick action in bettering the plight of orphans and women by employing them at orphanages and other charity organizations.
“These women need to be given priority and need to be provided with courses to help them improve their skills. They need computer education,” she said.
Saeed Muhammad Al-Naghes, head of the Orphan Charity Committee, said, “We search for poor men and women and try providing them with employment. We already have employed many of them and will work on providing them the needed skills to find further jobs.”
Al-Naghes also called on the authorities to develop a more robust system that would meet the needs of all people.
