Islam has laid utmost importance on taking care of orphans. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has said: "The person who cares for an orphan and me will be together in Paradise like this," and the Prophet (pbuh) held his two fingers together to illustrate. (Bukhari: 5659) Maatouq Al-Sharief, founder president of the Saudi Society for Childcare, has called for an independent agency in the Kingdom to take care of orphans. "The Ministry of Labor and Social Development is now taking care of orphans but its efforts are scattered in social protection and social insurance and it is unable to provide proper care to orphans," Al-Sharief told Al-Hayat stressing the need for an independent agency. Dr. Abdullah Al-Yousuf, former deputy minister for social affairs, opposed the idea and said ministries of interior and labor and social development were doing their duties toward orphans. He said the labor and social development ministry has set out policies to provide comprehensive care to orphans including educational, health and social services through social care homes and families. A statistical report issued by the labor and social development ministry last year estimated the total number of orphans in the Kingdom at 12,300. Among them, 8,600 live with families who have offered to take care of them while 1,300 live at the ministry's social care homes. Charitable organizations take care of 2,400 orphans, the report added. "Many of these children find difficulty in receiving their civil status identity cards despite a government order to provide them with IDs to facilitate their travel between GCC countries," said Al-Sharief. "Orphans born to non-Saudi mothers have been facing problems to get IDs, especially when their mothers are deported from the Kingdom," he added. An official at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), who requested anonymity, emphasized that it's the right of orphans to get IDs. "There are tens of orphans who have not yet received their IDs," he said and urged the interior and labor and social affairs ministries to resolve the issue. "When we deport the child's non-Saudi mother, it's our duty to provide the child its full rights," the NSHR official told Al-Hayat. The ministry said it does not have correct information about orphans born to unknown parents. However, press reports said the majority of orphans do not know their fathers and mothers. Another statistical report published by the ministry three years ago estimated the number of orphans with unknown parents at 774 — 90 boys and 284 girls — in the ministry's care homes. Orphans who have lost one of their parents and who lived at care homes numbered only five. "Most orphans are taken care of by their relatives," the report added. According to the latest demographic survey conducted by the General Census Authority, orphans aged below 18 stood at 2.34 percent with Tabuk having the highest number of 3.44 percent of the total and the Eastern Province having the lowest number of less than one percent. An orphan at the ministry's care home told Al-Hayat that she has been living at the center since her birth and commended the ministry's services. However, she pointed out that it had taken long time for receiving her ID. She is now married and expecting a baby. "My only worry is that my twin sister has not yet received her ID," she added.
