Over 2,400 orphans, including young men, face a plethora of problems that needs to be resolved. This was revealed by the president of the Saudi Child Care Association. “The issue needs urgent attention as most of them are without IDs,” said Matouk Al-Sharif, founding president of the association.

He has demanded the formation of an independent body to tend to the affairs of the over 11,000 orphans living under the direct or indirect supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs. “The ministry’s work in this domain, he said, is fragmented because of the many obligations it is tasked with.

“Ministry houses and shelters only provide basic needs for orphans,” said Abdullah Al-Yusuf, undersecretary of the ministry. “A committee that includes representatives from the Interior and Social Affairs Ministries is trying to solve this problem.”

Recent statistics show only 1,400 orphans are living in the ministry’s shelters, in addition to around 1,900 orphans in the custody of charities and more than 7,700 family-sponsored orphans.

Suhaila Zain Al-Abideen, a Saudi activist for children and women's rights, and a member of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), said children have the right to have identification, adding that they should not suffer for being abandoned.

“This is totally the ministry’s responsibility because it is known that children from unidentified parents should take the Saudi nationality by default,” she said. “I feel bad for those victims because this means that the children will not be able to go to schools, get jobs or even find foster families. Those children have no voice because they do not know who they are. For such children, the only family is the ministry staff.”

No studies have been done in the past by the NSHR over this sensitive issue, according to Zain Al-Abideen. She said she would soon take up this issue with the ministries concerned.

“I will immediately hold an NSHR meeting to discuss this matter and demand assistance for those orphans,” she said.