Saudi Arabia’s Dar al-Reaya, officially “care homes,” serve as detention centers for women and girls charged with disobedience, moral crimes, or family shame. Conditions at these facilities, commonly referred to as “hellish” by former detainees, are said to be rampant with abuse in the form of virginity tests, compelled religious indoctrination, and physical punishments such as weekly floggings. Women are often denied access to the outside world and are known by numbers rather than their names. Certain inmates are subjected to solitary confinement for months, and most are exposed to psychological trauma, with cases of self-injury and attempted suicide. The release is usually achieved only through a male guardian, in many cases, the suspected abuser. Far from sheltering vulnerable women, these institutions have been accused by human rights groups of being instruments of patriarchal control and silencing women’s agency. Activists and ex-detainees urge the closure of Dar al-Reaya and the creation of true safe houses for women.
Pray for the closure of women’s detention centers in the name of ‘care homes’ in Saudi Arabia. Pray for the Saudi government to take steps to create true safe houses for vulnerable women in the country (The Holy Bible, Psalm 82:3).
Pray for the Saudi government to allow its citizens, especially women and girls, to experience real freedom in their homeland. Pray for all women and girls in Saudi Arabia to have access to all their rights and freedom in their home country (The Holy Bible, Psalm 40:17).
News Source: The Guardian
Image Source: Canva
