
Here, we are discussing Dar Al-Reaya, a Saudi Arabian establishment that is formally referred to as a women's rehabilitation clinic. However, a lot of people claim that it is not a therapeutic site. Indeed, unsettling reports have surfaced portraying it as a covert prison where women endure horrendous mistreatment.
The Guardian reported that women detained in Dar Al-Reaya are subjected to psychological and physical abuse. According to some ex-detainees, they were frequently thrashed with hot lashes right on their exposed flesh. And this occurred each and every day.
According to The Guardian, conditions inside these homes have been called "hellish," with weekly floggings and forced religious instruction being documented.
The isolation and violence have left many women so damaged that some have even committed suicide within the facility. Even after being freed, many of them are too scared to talk freely because their stories are so horrific.
Why are women treated so cruelly?
In the 1960s, Dar Al-Reaya was founded under the name of a "rehabilitation center" for women. Stories of violence and abuse, however, create a terrible picture of what goes on behind its guarded doors. Inside, women are frequently whipped—not for major offenses, but perhaps simply for failing to attend a prayer. Additionally, individuals are compelled to attend religious instruction even if they want not to.
In Dar Al-Reaya, women who are imprisoned are held in total seclusion. They are not permitted to communicate with anyone from the outside world or even see their friends or family. Maryam Aldossari, who escaped saudi arabia, claims that females are indoctrinated to fear this place from an early age.
"When I was just 13, my father warned me that if I ever disobeyed him, he'd send me straight to Dar Al-Reaya," she said, recalling a terrifying experience.
What crime brings women here?
Many women are placed there for merely defying their male guardians, such as leaving the house without permission, declining an arranged marriage, or being in a relationship with someone the family disapproves of, rather than for breaching the law.
Just for attempting to live freely, some girls are sent away. Furthermore, in certain tragic instances, women who have been sexually abused and become pregnant are also imprisoned—not for their own benefit, but rather because their families feel "ashamed" and wish to keep them hidden from the public.
Reprimanded for bringing up their name
Women's identities are taken away from them inside Dar Al-Reaya. It is forbidden for them to reveal their true names to anybody. Instead, a number is assigned to each woman, and everyone calls her by that number. A lady is severely punished, frequently lashed with hot lashes as a warning to others, if she unintentionally gives someone her true identity.
Private virginity testing
Prison officials frequently have inmates undergo virginity tests under the guise of a medical examination. The women are given sleeping drugs prior to the treatment to suppress any resistance, which makes it much more difficult for them to object or fight back.
What is required for release?
Without the consent of a guy, leaving Dar Al-Reaya is practically impossible. A woman can only be freed in two ways: either she agrees to marry someone or a male family authority, such as her father, brother, or husband, must formally grant permission. She is totally reliant on a guy for her freedom in both situations. She might be imprisoned for the rest of her life if no one shows up to take her out.