The recent incident of four women escaping from one of the shelter homes in Jeddah has prompted the Ministry of Social Affairs to review the way these shelters are run. A source told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the ministry is separating protection homes making each one independent with separate systems and structures. The ministry is also conducting a study to transfer their current locations in south Jeddah, which has always been a matter of contention. The ministry's sources said it is currently restricting protection homes and temporary housing that receive domestic violence and ex-convicts whose families reject them after release from prison. Preliminary reports at the Ministry of Social Affairs recommended the revision in the work environments inside these homes and the services offered to residents and especially the protection of their privacy. The recommendations also emphasized safety and security measures with a new mechanism that separate the homes and grant each unit total administrative independence. When asked if the same mechanism will be applied to all protection homes in the Kingdom, the source who preferred to remain anonymous explained that this will be implemented in Jeddah first on a trial basis. As for the girls who escaped from the shelter in Jeddah, Minister of Social Affairs Majed Al-Qasabi is closely following up the investigations into the incident and is awaiting a report. Meanwhile, the National Society for Human Rights in Jeddah received a new complaint from a citizen accusing the shelters with so many violations. The society decided to investigate the complaint of the citizen who resides in the shelter and could not communicate with the NSHR so she asked one of her relatives to call it instead. An investigation is ongoing into the complaint, which mainly involves maltreatment by staff.
