DAR AL REAYA- Female torture chambers in Saudi Arabia.

Imagine being condemned as a victim who didn’t ask for their reality to become a lived nightmare…

Dar Al Reaya are female prison systems in Saudi Arabia that are accountable for holding majority of female Saudi victims or activists who have committed no wrong. The females that are being held are mostly imprisoned for reporting an abuse, a crime or for simply advocating or enjoying the luxuries of being a woman. Most of the time, the women are taken by FORCE to the prison as they are seen as shameful beings in their society — a society which sees the average woman as a second class citizen in their own country. Sometimes, the woman in question may feel as though she has no choice but to go there due to desperation and the feelings of hopelessness. You would often find that when a woman is trapped in a circumstance of abuse, she would make the Dar Al Reaya center the first point of escape due to Saudi Arabia lacking in protection centers that cater for runaway victims.

Where else can she go?

The conditions of the prison include:

• Small room, 1 window, a bed, a Quran and a toilet if you’re lucky. Some cells do not have toilet facilities forcing women to unhealthy practices of hygiene. The cells are not cleaned and often get infested with rodents.
• Dar Al Reaya does not provide rehabilitation activities for the victims as they are confined in their cells all day and all night.
• Many victims in the prison exhibit psychological and physical distresses overtime. One victim who was able to recall how her prison experience was like, mentioned hearing the women in nearby cells: screaming, cursing themselves for death,talking to themselves, crying excessively and making animal noises such as cat sounds.
• If the victim’s male guardian does not request for her freedom due to neglect or other reasons, the prison does have the options to marry her off OR keep her imprisoned for long periods of time which is said to be similar to life imprisonment.
• Women held in the prison include: victims of rape and abuse from male guardians, women activists and women charged for petty activities such as the wrong dress code or not seen with a guardian in public.
• Depending on the extent of her ‘rebellion’, victims allegedly receive lashes every Thursday of the week. Lashes range from 40 and upwards.

Dar Al Reaya is a facility that is feared by many Saudi women because it is known for its injustices that contribute to an oppressive society by law. It is also a topic that many tend to shy away from because of the fear that governmental institutions instill on the women that has previously landed many Saudi activists in jail and receiving death sentences.

This year, it has been declared that 5 more Dar Al Reaya centers have been built. Some of which are now holding children.

The United Nations has proven its failures countless times over the years by failing victims of highly oppressive societies for the sake of keeping monetary ties and benefits from certain countries. Women of Saudi Arabia form as an exemplar of a modern day world that continuously rejects the livelihood that human beings ought to deserve.

Where do victims turn to when the world has turned against the cries of those in severe misery?

https://www.thepertinentinfluence.com/2020/09/11/dar-al-reaya/#