Okaz/Saudi Gazette report MADINAH — The accusations leveled against orphan girls of “Qaryat Al-Atfal” in Madinah have affected them psychologically making it inevitable for concerned officials and civil society institutions to intervene and tackle their problems. Sharaf Al-Qarafi, supervisor of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) in Madinah, said, “The only way to put an end to the sufferings of these girls is to rehabilitate them in their old orphanage. It is the safest and most adequate place for them. If they must be punished, then let this happen within the boundaries of Qaryat Al-Atfal and not outside it, as per the rules governing juvenile correction procedures.” Al-Qarafi appealed to the responsible authorities to involve the girls in all matters concerning them and to seek their views about any solution suggested to tackle their problems. She said they should be encouraged to practice their rights that the Shariah, local regulations and international conventions bestowed on them to assimilate them into mainstream society. Al-Qarafi said it should be understood that the Convention on the Rights of the Child applies to orphans. She stressed that the Shariah supports and advocates the purposes of international treaties and Convention on the Rights of Child in general and orphans in particular. This shows that orphans should be treated as any other children. Al-Qarafi said fulfilling orphans' rights was a moral obligation advocated by Islam more than 1400 years ago before any man-made law. She said the charters derived from the Shariah, specifically Article 20, stipulates that children who are temporarily or permanently deprived of a family environment have the right to be protected and assisted by the state. Uhood Al-Rehili, a professor of mental health at Taibah University in Madinah, said, “The orphans at Qaryat Al-Atfal lacked the sound raising that helped them acquire noble values in life. This deprivation stripped them of the ability to control themselves. Also, this stems from their feeling of being stigmatized by society.” She said it makes them develop a hostile or aggressive attitude, which is natural because they feel that they are despised and rejected by society. “This explains why the inmates need the best guidance and moral support from the staff at Al-Qaryat Al-Atfal to help them restore their psychological balance and self-discipline. The best way to achieve this is to give them high doses of love, respect, affection, mercy and kindness.” Al-Rehili said this could not be achieved without highly qualified and trained staff with a good background in sociology and psychology. Dr. Ghazi Al-Mittari, a professor at Prince Naif Chair for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice at the Islamic University in Madinah, said, “It is pity that the orphans, who are the weakest class in society, become victims of oppression and suppression by some members of the same society. I wonder how this could happen in a society that advocates compassion, mercy and love in all walks of life.” Al-Mittari said, “When we recall the sanctity of the place, we wonder how someone can show such cruelty to the weakest section of society, which our religion always advises us to be kind to.”
