MAKKAH: The general consensus is that those convicted of a crime must be punished, usually through imprisonment.
When released, male convicts return to their homes and are usually welcomed back either by their families or society.
It is a different story for women in Saudi Arabia, especially those who have been incarcerated for moral crimes. They cannot return home because their families will not accept them.
According to estimates, around 80 percent of young Saudi women are unable to return home when they are released from correctional facilities because of the shame they have caused to their families.
Many of them are killed by their relatives or so badly beaten they return to the correctional facilities to be re-incarcerated.
At the headquarters of the Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice, Arab News was told the story of a 15-year-old Saudi girl who was found by the Commission in khulwa (seclusion) with a young man.
The Haia called her father, who initially refused to take her home but eventually relented.
The moment they reached home, he started beating her violently.
She ran away from home the next day and was caught again at the Grand Mosque by the Haia, who called the father for the second time.
After she ran away and was subsequently caught for the third time, the girl was handed over to a shelter, which will study her case and submit a report to the Governorate. It is not yet known what will happen to her.
Psychiatric consultant at Hara hospital, Dr. Rajab Brisali, said young girls tend to stray when their parents neglect them.
“When the father is busy with work and the mother is tied up at home, the girls tend to look for tenderness, passion and warmth outside. They will then fall prey to men who intend to exploit their youth and innocence,” he said.
Brisali called for the recruitment of a team of psychological consultants at each correctional facility to replace the social workers who currently work with the girls.
He also said the girls need to be psychologically treated before they are released so they can be reintegrated into society.
“Regrettably, there are no rehabilitation programs at the correction homes, so when the girls are released they might re-offend,” he said. Brisali pointed out that because of the absence of rehabilitation programs at the correction homes, girls may be prone to depression, with some of them turning to self-harm or even committing suicide.
He added a team of psychologists should visit homes before the girls are released to assess whether their parents and other family members are prepared to accept them.
He added that after these visits, the team could recommend whether to return the girl to her family or to other relatives willing to accept her.
Journalist Huwaidah Khoja said released girls should be given help finding jobs.
“This will give them financial security and help them pay for accommodation and a good standard of living if their families refuse to take them back,” she said.
She added that when girls recently released from correctional facilities are left to fend for themselves, they might stray. She claimed 99 percent of released girls run away from home.
Director of the Haia’s branch in Makkah Sheikh Ahmed Al-Ghamdi said it is wrong for fathers not to accept their daughters after they are released and against Islam to hurt or kill them.
He said that by serving their prison terms, they have paid for their crimes and sins.
“Human beings make mistakes. Their families and society should give them a second chance.”
