The administration of the women's correctional facility here has been ordered to stop the transfer of inmates to other regions of the country until all investigations into poor living conditions at the institution have been completed. The order has come from the Makkah Region's Emirate in the wake of concerns that officials from the facility and the Social Affairs Ministry, were trying to cover up complaints by inmates. The women have accused the administration of mismanagement, preventing access to medical care, solitary confinement and physical assaults by women guards. The complaints, including the physical beatings, have all been confirmed by the National Society of Human Rights, based on confessions by some women guards. The administration had transferred 12 inmates to other facilities last week, arguing that it was a move meant to prevent a recurrence of any future riots, and that the inmates could be brought back for questioning if needed. Sources inside the facility said the committee formed under the directives of the Emir of Makkah, will start its work Monday, after receiving reports from four authorities - the Commission for Investigation and Prosecution, the Control and Investigation Bureau, the Human Rights Commission and the Directorate of Social Affairs. The sources confirmed that Dr. Ali Al-Hinaki, Director of Social Affairs in the Makkah Region met with female inmates to inform them of the decision not to transfer anyone. The Ministry of Social Affairs said that it would bring back the transferred inmates to the facility if the investigation committee requested that. The facility was allegedly the scene of a riot more than a week ago. Meanwhile, a Shoura Council member said that there was “legal vacuum” dealing with domestic violence and child abuse cases. The Social Affairs Committee at the Council would soon finalize a draft law of child protection for voting in the coming few months, said member Talal Bakri. “The social affairs Shoura committee receives a lot of domestic violence complaints,” he said. The human rights bodies in the Kingdom have only received a few cases compared to the large population of the Kingdom, he said. Saudi society has been lately plagued with a wave of high cost of living, drugs, unemployment, and huge influx of foreign workers, contributing to the rise of all types of violence, he said.
