8, 12 The first report of child abuse in Saudi Arabia 3 described seven cases with convincing evidence of abuse or neglect. The study, which comes days before Saudi Arabia hosts the G20 on Saturday, notes 27 political prisoners were women’s rights activists - saying six of them had been sexually assaulted. According to BRAC, a non-governmental organisation working with Bangladeshi migration workers, last year a total of 1,353 female workers came back to Bangladesh from Saudi Arabia because of the inhuman working conditions there. The migrants at the centre, mostly from Ethiopia but also from other African or Asian countries, were being held pending deportation, most having been arrested … However, she woke up to the harsh reality when she reached there in July 2018. They were arrested not because they had committed a crime, but because of my activism. She added that a victim has to stay in safe houses in Saudi Arabia if she wants to file a complaint. Reem Abdellatif. So the Saudi employers think they can do whatever they want with these workers without facing any consequences,” Hasan told Al Jazeera. Riyadh (AsiaNews) - Underpaid, exploited and often abused by their employers, Filipino domestic workers are one of the groups most at risk in Arabian countries, especially Saudi Arabia. “They also beat me with a stick sometimes.”. The study, shared exclusively with The Independent, alleges that 309 political prisoners have suffered human rights abuses since Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince of the kingdom in 2017. The exploitation of guest workers in Saudi Arabia has been a common occurrence for many years. A copy of the Regulation, in Arabic, is available on the website of the National Society of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia. After living in a safe house in Riyadh run by the Bangladeshi embassy for three weeks, Akhter was sent back to Bangladesh this September, her leg permanently incapable of healing. Black public figures empathise with Meghan after Oprah interview, Senegal opposition leader to appear in court amid protest fears, Meghan accuses UK royals of racism over son’s skin colour, Houthis fire missiles, drones at Saudi oil facilities, The priceless racism of the Duke of Edinburgh, Pope ends historic Iraq visit with messages of coexistence, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. Substance use disorders (SUD) are mental health conditions that arise from chronic drug use. Now with a broken leg, I have become a burden to my family,” said Akhter. He added: "At a time when it has imposed the harshest and most sweeping period of repression of civil and political rights in modern Saudi history.". Immense Legality in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia failed to co-operate with an inquiry by the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions into the murder. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Akter’s working conditions got worse. Murder, torture, sexual assault – all of the worst human rights violations imaginable are here,’ says campaigner, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, The study claims 309 known political prisoners have suffered vile human rights abuses since Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince of the kingdom in 2017. Read our full mailing list consent terms here, “Except at home in Saudi Arabia, where she languishes in a maximum-security prison. No explanation has ever been provided but there is no denying the truth. We take measures whenever we receive any complaints. Independent information about substance abuse in Saudi Arabia is rare, but one example is this study on the topic by the World Health Organisation published in 1998. Saudi Arabia rights workshop confronts child abuse Al-Awad stressed that the Kingdom has made great progress at the international level in the protection of childhood Updated 04 February 2020 Bangladesh’s ministry of expatriates, which previously denied allegations of sexual abuse of female workers in Saudi Arabia, also admitted the abuse of its workers this September. Female workers returning from Saudi Arabia say they suffered backbreaking working hours and sexual abuse. “After they came back, they reported of mental, physical and sexual abuse,” said Shariful Islam Hasan of the migration programme at BRAC. “We try to keep them in the safe houses in Riyadh, Medina or Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and later try to bring them back as soon as possible after completing necessary procedures,” he said. I was told that any contact with my family would endanger their lives further.”. “This weekend Saudi authorities will talk up the reforms championed by imprisoned activists to garner business opportunities and political acclaim. But for some, the cost in physical and mental abuse is too high, writes Jason Burke As a result, most of the victims are unwilling to lodge complaints and simply wish to return home,” he added. Saudi Arabia's King Khalid Foundation launches anti-domestic abuse campaign in 2013 Source: Arab News While there's still a lot to be done, things seem to be changing for the better as the country seems serious about tackling the alarming rise in reported domestic abuse cases. What some meet with is abuse and hardship from their employers for a … (Sept. 10, 2013) On August 26, 2013, the Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia approved the Regulation to Protect Against Abuse, which has the force of law. Growing up in the small Bangladeshi village of Namorikari in Lalmonirhat, which often faces seasonal famines, 29-year-old Begum struggled to make ends meet. Dec 16, 2020 Saudi Arabia is detaining hundreds of migrants in inhumane, degrading conditions at a deportation center in Riyadh, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a new report that alleges guards have also tortured and beaten detainees. The story of Dalia Akhter, another migrant who worked in Saudi Arabia, ended with a broken limb. It has been established that the risk of child abuse is increased by premarital conception, youthful marriage, unwanted or twin pregnancy, social isolation and financial constraint. Thousands of Indian women join farmers’ protests against new laws. But the success rate is way higher than the failure.”. Exclusive: ‘This report details abuse on an industrial scale. “Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s real reformers are behind bars. Lina al-Hathloul, Loujain’s younger sister, said: “My sister is an award-winning women’s rights activist, she has been nominated for the Nobel Prize and she is celebrated all around the world. Under the Saudi “kafala” – or visa sponsorship – system, a migrant worker’s residency permit is tied to the “sponsoring” employers whose written consent is required for the worker to change employers or leave the country under normal circumstances. According to Al-Baz, her husband beat her, intending to kill her, after she answered the phone without his permission. In 2016, the Saudi Ministry of Labor and Social Development recorded 11,000 reports of abuse of children and women, ranging from physical and psychological abuse to murder. It was hard for me to understand their language [Arabic]. Saudi officials have denied the torture allegations and said they were investigating claims of maltreatment. Begum said she was also sexually assaulted by the eldest son of the family, which spurred her to run away. Human rights organisations say Loujain has been forced to endure abuse including electric shocks, flogging and sexual harassment while in jail. She jumped from the roof of the three-storey house in an attempted suicide and broke her leg, after which her employer left her with the Bangladeshi embassy in the capital, Riyadh. Abuse in Saudi Arabia: How Bangladeshi maids escape ‘dream job’ Khaleda Akhter, a domestic worker who fled Saudi Arabia, arrives back in Dhaka, Bangladesh in February (MEE/Kaamil Ahmed) By Sohel Ahmed, managing partner of the BS International agency, said they only send “willing” people abroad after telling them their future duties in Saudi Arabia. The Independent has contacted a representative of the Saudi government for comment. The inquiry concluded in June that Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a deliberate, premeditated extrajudicial killing for which Saudi Arabia was responsible. “As it’s a legal procedure, it takes a long time to complete the investigation and other formalities. Constant abuse forced me out of Saudi Arabia. Matthias Ang | August 31, 2020, 06:59 PM He said 66 female workers have died in the last four years in Saudi Arabia, 52 cases were suicides. In the last four years, at least 66 Bangladeshi female workers died in Saudi Arabia, 52 of them committing suicide. “However, the female returnees comprised of less than 10 percent of the total workforce, the rest are still working,” he told Al Jazeera, referring to about 2 million Bangladeshi expatriates in the kingdom. Akhter, a resident of Gendaria outside the capital Dhaka, was told she would be taking care of an elderly woman in the town Ad-Dilum in Saudi Arabia in exchange for $266 a month. Ahmed told Al Jazeera: “It’s hard for us to understand what will happen to them from afar. There is an increased recognition of this problem in Saudi Arabia. 6 A number of factors may have changed in Saudi Arabia to cause the rise in substance abuse prevalence rates over the last 20 years.3,4,6 The aim of the current study was to explore the links between addiction prevalence in Saudi Arabia, diagnosis, age, employment status, relapse, and criminal history. Jailed women’s rights activists and political prisoners have been sexually assaulted, tortured and died in Saudi Arabian jails, a report has claimed. In prison, my sister has been tortured and degraded, and sexually abused. Loujain is awaiting trial on charges of communicating with foreign bodies hostile to Saudi, recruiting government employees to collect confidential information and delivering financial support to entities overseas who are hostile to the kingdom. The activists who continue to fight for human rights in Saudi Arabia are the true voices for reform, and they should be listened to, not locked up.”. Dec. 20, 2020. “I had to work from 5am to 10pm every day without a break,” she said. My brother was forced to record a video denouncing me so official Saudi channels could post it on social media. News Saudi women activists detail torture, sexual abuse at court hearing. (Beirut) – Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers broke new ground on August 26, 2013, by passing a draft law criminalizing domestic abuse. I screamed loud but he shut my mouth with his hand. Begum is among the nearly 50,000 women who went to the Gulf country for work until the end of September this year. “Before going to Saudi Arabia, I used to work in garment sector. “The rest of the world needs to wake up – Saudi Arabia must not be welcomed into the community of respectable nations whilst it tortures, abuses and murders its own people.". “I was able to work for only four months and I got salary of just two months. I needed to work for 14-15 hours straight. The reports comes as Amnesty International calls for G20 leaders going to the virtual summit hosted by Saudi this weekend to “take the Saudi authorities to task for their shameless hypocrisy on women’s rights” - noting female empowerment is part of the kingdom’s G20 Agenda. For days on end, she had to consume “bhater mar” (the starchy water poured off cooked rice) to quell her hunger after feeding her two children and ailing husband. PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched with suitable keywords for SUD publications up to June 10, 2019. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. My mother, Aida Al-Ghamdi and two of my brothers were arrested. I felt helpless and trapped,” she said. As long as women inside of Saudi Arabia cannot safely speak, it is the duty of the international community to raise its voice on their behalf.”. Workers who leave their employer without their consent can be charged with “absconding” and face imprisonment and deportation, Human Rights Watch said. Ahmed Munirus Saleheen of the ministry of expatriates told Al Jazeera that the institution has a special arrangement with the Saudi government for expatriates subjected to torture. In 2013, Saudi Arabia approved a ban on domestic abuse, the first in the country’s history. Saudi Arabia. The sister of jailed Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul - who is currently on her 23rd day of hunger strike - said she had been tortured and sexually abused in jail. “It was a tough job for $235 a month. Long working hours, rude behaviour and physical abuse were everyday experiences. “I was told that she would make around 20,000 taka ($235) a month and only needed to spend 40,000 taka ($471) to go to Saudi Arabia,” she told Al Jazeera. Suddenly I realised someone was trying to get on the top of me. Eleven million guest workers have come to the Middle Eastern nation in order to find an opportunity to support their families back home. Amnesty is calling for G20 leaders to demand Loujain, Nassima al-Sada, Samar Badawi, Nouf Abdulaziz and Maya’a al-Zahrani, who were arrested in 2018 for their human rights work, are “immediately and unconditionally released”. Adam Coogle, a spokesperson for Human Rights Watch told The Independent, the G20 presidency has given Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s government an “undeserved mark of international prestige”. For other women, it means being thrown into jail. “They are untrained and unprepared for a foreign land and culture,” he said, “Thus most of them get mentally traumatised and homesick when they start working here in Saudi households.”. Saudi Arabia's cabinet has approved a ban on domestic and other abuse for the first time. It states that all forms of physical and sexual abuse at home and in the workplace are punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine, with officials claiming it is just one of a series of long-term measures designed to achieve the Kingdom’s aim – that of becoming a tolerant Islamic country. Conduct a comprehensive review of published literature on SUD to identify knowledge gaps and to guide future research. Get email notification for articles from Reem Abdellatif Follow. She suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. Bangladeshi women recount stories of abuse in Saudi Arabia Attempted suicide. Saudi Arabia is detaining hundreds of migrants in squalid conditions in Riyadh, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says, quoting some who claimed they had been tortured or beaten. At one point, I applied all my force and he was compelled to leave me,” she said. Grant Liberty, the human rights charity which conducted the report, says people have faced death for crimes carried out when they were as young as nine. The trial of 11 women's rights activists in Riyadh has drawn sharp criticism from Western countries. Penalties for drug offences are notoriously severe, with around one person thought to be executed for drug related offences every four days . Saudi Arabia announced new penalties for abuse against women on Wednesday that include imprisonment and hefty fines for any physical, psychological, or sexual assaults against women in … Reporting or discussing child abuse is a sensitive subject no matter where in the world you live. Dhaka, Bangladesh – Shirina Begum was no stranger to sleeping on an empty stomach. Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia send £17bn to families back home annually. Saudi Arabia is detaining hundreds of mainly Ethiopian migrants in squalid conditions in Riyadh, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said, quoting some as saying they had been tortured or beaten. Loujain, who successfully campaigned to win Saudi women the right to drive, was arrested alongside 10 other women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia in May 2018 – weeks before the country reversed the driving ban. We try to bring them (the workers) as soon as possible.”, Abul Hossain, the owner of the Concord Apex agency, said: “Most of them are working happily and sending valuable remittance to their family. I didn’t have any access to a phone, so I couldn’t talk to my family back home,” she said. In February 2015, the Saudi Arabian authorities publicly flogged blogger Raif Badawi, sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for 'insulting Islam' and founding an online forum for political debate.. Due to be flogged 50 times every week, Raif’s lashes have so far been postponed on a weekly basis. Moshi partially blamed “greedy manpower agents” for the situation, saying they spread out across the impoverished parts of the country to lure poor women. They want to kill my father. Abdullah al-Ghamdi, a Saudi activist who lives in exile, said: “In 2012, I was granted asylum in Britain – I had been campaigning to put an end to the dictatorship and authoritarian policies in Saudi Arabia. “The Malkin (her female employer) used to beat me with a stick when I could not understand her instructions. She later found out that the family had six members and her duties also included cleaning, washing and other household chores. If they do, it will be state-sanctioned murder.”. {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Political prisoners ‘sexually assaulted and put to death in Saudi’, Rights groups urge countries to boycott Saudi Arabia G20 summit, Saudi women’s rights activist’s sister ‘terrified’ about her safety, Brother of Saudi activist ‘being tortured’ fears treatment worsening, The ending of the Jamal Khashoggi case has left a number of questions. His crime? Murder, torture, sexual assault – all of the worst human rights violations imaginable are here. “I decided to borrow money from a local moneylender and go to Saudi Arabia to work there,” she said. Women activists, political prisoners ‘sexually assaulted, tortured and executed in Saudi Arabia’ jails. “When she was arrested with my brother they were tortured in front of each other. The next day, she mustered the courage and fled to the nearest police station. Domestic abuse in Saudi Arabia started to receive public attention in 2004 after a popular television presenter, Rania al-Baz, was severely beaten by her husband, and photographs of her bruised and swollen face were published in the press. Abdullah al-Odah, who is the son of Salman al-Odah, one of Saudi’s most prominent champions of political reform and human rights, said: “My father faces the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. According to the ministry of expatriates, there are 1,221 registered agencies and over 80 percent of them send workers to Saudi Arabia. “He tweeted an innocuous message to his 14 million Twitter followers wishing an end to the diplomatic standoff with Qatar. Bangladesh’s garment sector, the South Asian nation’s biggest export earner, employs millions of women. The study reports prolonged solitary confinement is widely utilised by the authorities, while prisoners are repeatedly blocked from consulting their legal teams. I don’t deny that few of them are coming back. “I was lucky because I got out – but it is another story for my family. My mother is 64. Instead of playing along with the Saudi government’s whitewashed narrative, G20 leaders should use this summit as an opportunity to stand up for the brave activists whose genuine commitment to women’s empowerment has cost them their freedom. The new family was even harsher on her than the previous one, she says. The new law sets penalties for all forms of physical and sexual abuse, both at home and in the workplace. Now I am in debt as I can’t pay back to my loan sharks.”. After a seven-year ban on employing Bangladeshi migrant workers, Saudi Arabia started taking workers from the South Asian nation of nearly 160 million through a bilateral deal signed at the end of 2015. Victims of a cruel system. “I was treated like an animal inside the prison,” she said. “I was sleeping in the kitchen. Her agent told her that she would only need to cook for a family of four in the city of Al-Kharj. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. What is behind the rise in Saudi-Houthi tit-for-tat attacks? I also couldn’t cook to their taste. They were beaten and had cigarettes put out on their skin. Researchers said 20 prisoners were arrested for political crimes they committed as children - with five of these inmates already put to death and an additional 13 currently facing the death penalty. Then he molested me. In May this year, she started her journey, leaving behind her family. After she refused to continue working for the family, she was “sold” to another family, Akter says. Of the 111 women who returned to Bangladesh from Saudi Arabia on August 26, 38 were physically or sexually abused and 48 others were deprived of their salary and allowances, according to the report. According to government figures, more than 300,000 female workers have travelled to Saudi Arabia since 1991, but many of them return with stories of abuse and exploitation.
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