Officials concerned about misconduct by guardsMADINA: Princess Noha Bin Saud Bin Abdul Mohsen, the wife of the Emir of Madina and chairperson of the Board of Directors of Taiba Women's Society, said Tuesday that the attitudes of girls who rioted at an orphanage in Madina have annoyed her. She made the comment while meeting with the Society's senior staff and indicated that Monday's incident was a reaction to administrative changes at the orphanage that were approved by the Board. In the wake of the incident, which was resolved peacefully and without injuries, authorities in Madina have referred 19 girls from the orphanage to the Women's Prison at Abiar Ali, in preparation to send them to the Correction House in Makkah. A security source in Madina said some of the girls tried to escape from the police station at Al-Khaledyia, but the massive security presence thwarted their efforts and there were no injuries. The inmates confessed before the investigating officer that they attacked the orphanage's principal and maids, the source said. A source also said authorities have known for some time that there were concerns about guards at the orphanage. Educators told Al-Khaledyia authorities 45 days ago that guards there were committing violations, the source said. Some freelance guards have testified that some of their colleagues were smuggling restricted items to the inmates and an investigation has been opened to question the guards and girls, the source said. Hatem Ameen Bari, director of Minister of Social Affairs in Madina, attributed the rioting inside and outside the orphanage to some inmates' misbehavior. Bari said a comprehensive rehabilitation program for girls at the orphanage will ensure that there are no more riots. The upheaval was to be expected, said Hana Al-Sulaiman, director of Public Relations at Taiba Women's Society in Madina, who said the Society must successfully execute its plan. “What happened was a natural reaction to the efforts being made by the Society to introduce some reforms at the orphanage,” Al-Sulaiman said. “It is natural for these endeavors to meet resistance. This serves as conclusive evidence for the need for these reforms. This incident will never intimidate the Society from completing the reforms it has started.” Okaz/Saudi Gazette reporters visited the orphanage' s headquarters and found signs of rioting including broken glass in the principal's office, destroyed file cabinets and inmates' files thrown on corridors and offices. Representatives of the National Society for Human Rights who visited the orphanage two months ago after an earlier riot cited the lack of rehabilitation programs and as well as that of staff trained in psychology and sociology, along with several shortcomings in the facilities and services.
