Human Trafficking in [Saudi Arabia] [other countries]
Street Children in [Saudi Arabia] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Saudi Arabia] [other countries]
 

Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia extends over most of the Arabian peninsula [map] and is bounded by the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea (W); by the Persian Gulf, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (E); by Yemen and Oman (S); and by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait (N). Riyadh is its capital and largest city. Saudi Arabia possesses 25% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. Roughly five and a half million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and service sectors. Priorities for government spending in the short term include additional funds for education and for the water and sewage systems. Economic reforms proceed cautiously because of deep-rooted political and social conservatism.

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Saudi Arabia. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

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Child beggars thrive on Muslim holy season in Gulf states

According to a study by the Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh published in the Saudi daily Okaz, more than 80,000 "street children" can be found at any one time in the six oil-rich Gulf Arab monarchies -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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UNICEF - The Big Picture

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

CHILDREN - Abuse of children was a problem, although it was difficult to gauge the prevalence of child abuse, since the government kept no national statistics on such cases. Although in general the culture greatly prizes children, studies by citizen female doctors indicated that severe abuse and neglect of children appeared to be more widespread than previously reported. At least two NGOs, one in Riyadh and one in Jeddah, run shelters for women and children. The press has also raised national consciousness about the problem.

In 2003, the MOI's center for crime prevention and research reported that 21 percent of male children suffered from some form of abuse. The report stated that 34 percent of the abused suffered from some sort of psychological abuse, and 25 percent suffered physical abuse. The figures excluded female children and accusations of sexual abuse, as the ministry stated that the issues were too sensitive for public discussion.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2001

[7] The Committee is concerned that the broad and imprecise nature of the State party's general reservation potentially negates many of the Convention's provisions and raises concern as to its compatibility with the object and purpose of the Convention, as well as the overall implementation of the Convention.

Child beggars thrive on Muslim holy season in Gulf states

According to a study by the Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh published in the Saudi daily Okaz, more than 80,000 "street children" can be found at any one time in the six oil-rich Gulf Arab monarchies -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

83,000 homeless children roam Saudi streets - study

Around 83,000 homeless children are roaming the streets of Saudi Arabia, according to a recently released study. The children are believed to have been brought from neighbouring countries to work as camel jockeys and later were used for selling low-priced goods, according to Dr Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Yousuf, associate professor of sociology at the Riyadh-based Imam Mohammad Bin Saud Islamic University.

Rude awakening

UNICEF discovered child trafficking in Yemen a little over a year ago. While working with children spending time in prison and child labor, it came across children who had the experience of being shipped off to Saudi Arabia. “When we were working with street children, we discovered that there was a problem of child trafficking in the country that we were not aware of,” said Shalan. “These children started talking about their experiences. They had already been in Saudi Arabia, they were abused, and they talked to us about the horrendous conditions they went through.”

Parents, children complicit in human trafficking Report

The report found that most children started the journey accompanied by a direct relation, although some children traveled with other children instead. According to the study, just over 50% fell within the age range 13-16 years old, and of the 59 cases, only two were girls. On arrival in Saudi Arabia, nearly 75% of children successfully found work, but most were unable to find a place to live. 64.5% had no place of residence and therefore lived on the street.

Improving Living Environments for the Low-Income Households

NARRATIVE - For the urban poor, mainly the low-income people, the government launched a serviced land plots program aimed at providing them free land plots so that they could build their own dwellings with interest-free loans from the Real Estate Development Fund. In Riyadh alone, 100,000 plots have been given away to the poor in the last ten years. Although the supply of urban housing increased considerably, it fell short of the demand.

Illegal EXPATS remain on streets despite order

http://saudielection.com/en/news_body.php?id=250&PHPSESSID=5687715965a7d6ceef636969fe111212

Many of the homeless arrived in Saudi Arabia under Umrah or Haj visas and remained to seek out a living on the streets.

The homeless often sleep in makeshift shelters and wait for daily food to be delivered by charities. Many have lived in the district for about one year after failing to use their round trip airline tickets in a timely manner.

Conference May Break Taboo On Sexual Abuse In Arab Countries

All experts on the Middle East have acknowledged that the problem in Arabic countries is not as dire. However, in the absence of proper research on the subject, the size of the problem is anyone's guess. The prostitution is there, and many street children become prostitutes, and the demand comes from Arab, as well as European and American tourists.

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Human Trafficking in [Saudi Arabia] [other countries]
Street Children in [Saudi Arabia] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Saudi Arabia] [other countries]