JEDDAH — Human rights officials and sociologists working with social protection centers and prisons in the Kingdom called on Tuesday for a law obliging the private and public sectors to employ women who have served time in prisons. The proposal will be submitted to the Shoura Council to be discussed and implemented, said Omar Al-Khouli, a King Abdulaziz University professor. Al-Khouli was speaking at a Human Rights Commission-organized seminar at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The seminar was held under the title: “The Rights of Released Women, Current Situations and Future Expectations.” The head of Briman Prison's women's section, Fawziya Abbas, called for alternative penalties to imprisonment to be considered. Imprisonment, she said, makes it difficult for women to go back to their normal lives and be accepted in their social and work communities. Abbas added: “We suggest that women who are convicted for minor offenses to do some social work at charity societies, give them cleaning tasks and prevent them from travelling outside the city or the country.” According to her, many families refuse to accept their daughters after their release, leading them to commit crimes again. She said: “We need a consultation center that needs to work with the woman and her family and reconcile them six months before the release date so she can return to a welcoming family that will not refuse to accept her and will not abuse her.” Abbas explained that though families refuse to interact with daughters involved in ethical offenses, they are more supportive if they have been accused of murder or other violent crimes. At the same time, families do not neglect their sons who are involved in any crime and tend to visit them in prisons and welcome them home after their release. According to Abbas, there must be a system that obliges families to take back their daughters and protect them from domestic violence. She added: “If women are not welcomed back by their families, they tend to relapse into their old and bad ways.” Abbas said women could easily lose custody of their children even if she has only been questioned in connection to a crime. She added: “The husband can seize custody from the mother even if he is not fit to take care of his children. This is another issue that women prisoners face.” Nisreen Abu Taha is a social researcher and an official at a guesthouse that has been launched recently by the Ministry of Social Affairs for women convicts who have not been welcomed by their families after they serve their sentences. Abu Taha said they have received 11 women and were able to help three of them return to their families through their rehabilitation and reconciliation programs.
