Hot rods on naked bodies, flogging in the morning and evening… cruelty against girls in Saudi prisons

Saudi Arabia's 'Dar al-Riya' reformatory has actually become a torture house for women. Girls are locked up here for running away from home or disobeying orders, where they are flogged, branded with hot rods and mentally broken.

In Saudi Arabia, which is considered one of the world's most mysterious and strict societies, questions have been raised for decades about women's freedom. But the shocking revelations that have come to light recently confirm that the so-called 'reform houses' there are actually no less than 'hell'. In these closed reform centers named 'Dar al-Riya', those girls are sent who do not obey their father, husband or brother, or run away from home.

In these prison-like reform homes, women are not only flogged, but are also broken physically and mentally. In this report, we are making you aware of those painful realities, where punishment with hot rods and flogging in the morning and evening is an everyday affair.

A place of torture in the name of reform

In the Dar al-Riya reform homes built in Saudi Arabia since the 1960s, all limits of inhumanity are crossed in the name of reforming women. Every girl is locked up here who tries to break the male-directed rules of society. Whether she is in a love affair or just stepping out of the house without permission. Reports suggest that women there are flogged several times a week, beaten for not praying, and forced lessons are given in the name of religious education.

A life cut off from the outside world

The women imprisoned in these centers are not allowed to see family or talk to friends. In many cases, they are held there for years until a male guardian comes to pick them up. One former victim said she tried to commit suicide when she was sent to Dar al-Riya because she knew what happens there. This place is like hell, she said.

No ID, just number

Here even the identity of the girls is erased. They are not called by name but by number like number 35, come forward. If a girl reveals her family name, she is publicly flogged. The virginity test of the girls accused of sexual exploitation is done in the name of medical examination and they are given sleeping pills so that they cannot resist.

Women are afraid to tell their own stories

Human rights activists Maryam al-Dosari and Sarah al-Yahia have collected the stories of dozens of girls. One girl told how her father sexually abused her under the threat of sending her to a reformatory. Another woman was sentenced to six months in prison simply because she sheltered a victim in her home. According to Saudi law, sheltering an 'absent' woman is considered a crime.

Not a reform, but a way to protect yourself from defamation

These reform homes have actually become a means of saving the social prestige of families. If a woman is sexually assaulted by a member of her own family, or if she becomes pregnant, the family puts her in Dar al-Riya so that there is no shame in front of society. In such cases, the criminals roam freely, and the victim is imprisoned.

Fear starts from school

Saudi girls are indoctrinated with the fear of these reform homes from childhood. One student said that when she was 16, a woman came to school from a reform home and told how she was sent to a reform home after getting involved in a love affair. She warned the students that "if a woman becomes 'cheap' she will remain cheap all her life."

PC:TV9Bharatvarsh