The Hemaya “Protection” Society (HS) has urged the Ministry of Health to take concerted action to help female drug addicts, while criticizing the stance taken by the previous health minister. HS chairwoman Enam Al-Rabou'i, addressing a symposium on child abuse and domestic violence in Riyadh on Thursday, said the Kingdom needed more facilities for the proper care and treatment of addicts, and asked the ministry to provide more beds at Jeddah's Al-Amal Hospital for the treatment of female addicts. The hospital, she said, serves not only Jeddah, but also Makkah, Taif, Baha and other towns and regions. “Women drug addicts need proper places and facilities for drug rehabilitation, facilities such as those currently provided to male addicts,” Al-Rabou'i said. “Some women addicts seek treatment from us at the Hemaya Society, but we can't meet their needs because of our limited technical and financial resources.” According to Al-Rabou'i, HS has taken in 30 girls of different ages addicted to stimulants and hashish in the last six months alone. “The number in itself,” she said, “should be enough to oblige health ministry officials to set up special wards in public hospitals and primary health centers for the treatment of women drug addicts.” Most studies show, Al-Rabou'i said, that female victims of domestic violence are particularly vulnerable, with many using drugs as an escape from their ordeals at home. “The authorities need to confront the situation boldly instead of burying their heads in the sand,” Al-Rabou'i said referring to the former health minister who terminated the services of female social workers at Al-Amal Hospital under the pretext that there were no women addicts. Al-Rabou'i appealed to scholars and experts to consider designating “Zakat” charity funds to victims of domestic violence. She also recommended that the minimum age for marriage be set at 16 years. The Hemaya Society is a non-governmental charity that works for the rights of children, women and the elderly to protect them from domestic violence.
