Naked beating, virginity tests and...: Why is Saudi Arabia's secret jail a 'hell' for women? Horrific punishments will make you cry
Naked beating, virginity tests and...: Why is Saudi Arabia's secret jail a 'hell' for women? Horrific punishments will make you cry
Saudi Arabia is known around the world as a rich and powerful Islamic country. It is the land of Mecca and Medina, the two most holiest sites for the Muslims. The country is famous for its royal family, oil riches, and huge buildings. From the outside, it looks like Saudi Arabia is growing fast and becoming modern. But behind all this glamour, there are some hidden truth, the side of the country that many people never hear about.
According to a report by The Guardian , women held inside Dar Al-Reaya face both physical and mental torture. Some former detainees have revealed that they were regularly beaten up with hot lashes directly on their bare skin. And this happened every single day.
Conditions inside these homes have been described as 'hellish,' with reports of weekly floggings and forced religious teachings, The Guardian reported.
Many women are so broken by the abuse and isolation that some have even taken their own lives inside the facility. Their stories are so horrifying that many are too afraid to speak openly, even after being released. Why are women treated so cruelly?
Dar Al-Reaya, was started back in the 1960s with the label of a 'rehabilitation center' for women. But behind its locked doors, stories of abuse and brutality paint a horrifying picture. Women inside are often beaten with whips, not as punishment for serious crimes, but sometimes just for missing a prayer. They're also forced to attend religious lessons, even if they don't want to.
Women locked up in Dar Al-Reaya are kept in complete isolation. They're not allowed to see their families, friends, or even speak to anyone from the outside world. According to Maryam Aldossari, who fled Saudi Arabia, the fear of this place is drilled into girls from a young age.
She shared a chilling memory: 'When I was just 13, my father warned me — if I ever disobeyed him, he'd send me straight to Dar Al-Reaya.' What crime brings women here?
Many women are sent there not for breaking the law, but for simply going against their male guardians, like leaving the house without permission, refusing an arranged marriage, or being in a relationship with someone the family disapproves of.
Some girls are sent away just for trying to live freely. And in some horrifying cases, women who have survived sexual violence and become pregnant are also locked up, not to help them, but because their families feel 'ashamed' and want to hide them from society. Punished for mentioning their name
Inside Dar Al-Reaya, women are stripped of their identity. They are not allowed to say their real names to anyone. Instead, each woman is given a number, and that's what everyone uses to call her. If a woman accidentally shares her actual name with someone, she is brutally punished often whipped with hot lashes as a warning to others. Virginity tests behind closed doors
Under the pretense of a medical exam, prison authorities often force virginity tests on them. To prevent any resistance, the women are drugged with sleeping pills before the procedure, making it even harder for them to fight back or refuse. What does it take to be released?
Getting out of Dar Al-Reaya is nearly impossible without a man's approval. There are only two ways a woman can be released: either a male guardian from her family like her father, brother, or husband must officially give permission, or she must agree to marry someone. In both cases, her freedom is completely dependent on a man. If no one comes to take her out, she could be locked away for the rest of her life.
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