'Care Homes' of Cruelty: Saudi Women Flogged and Imprisoned for Daring to Disobey

Something chilling is happening behind closed doors in Saudi Arabia, and it's not a secret anymore. Shocking new reports have uncovered how Saudi women and girls are being locked away in brutal so-called 'rehabilitation' prisons simply for defying male relatives. Even more disturbing, it's often their own families handing them over for punishment.

These institutions, ironically named Dar al-Re'aya or 'care homes', are less about care and more about control. Inside, victims face beatings, isolation and pressure to reconcile with their abusers. Their only crime? Daring to speak up.

The Truth About 'Care Homes'

Numerous Saudi women have come forward to describe their harrowing experiences in these so-called care homes. In reality, they say, they're violent institutions where women are flogged, locked in isolation and subjected to psychological and physical abuse.

According to testimonies reported by the Daily Mail, many are sent there by their own families for refusing to tolerate sexual abuse at home. Human rights group ALQST has documented a long list of horrors including malnutrition, poor hygiene, extreme confinement and emotional degradation.

The objective of these 'rehabilitation centres' is to break women into submission. Victims are held until they 'reconcile' with their abusers.

Most Victims Are Young — Some as Young as 7

Originally introduced in the 1960s as rehabilitation facilities, Dar al-Re'aya houses females aged 7 to 30. But human rights advocates say the majority are minors.

One anonymous woman said:
'Every girl growing up in Saudi knows about Dar al-Re'aya and how awful it is. It's like hell. I tried to end my life when I found out I was going to be taken to one. I knew what happened to women there and thought "I can't survive it."'

The Activists Fighting Back

Sarah Al-Yahia, a Saudi human rights activist and survivor, is one of the most vocal opponents of Dar al-Re'aya. She described how her father used the threat of the care home to coerce her into silence after sexual abuse.

'If you are sexually abused or get pregnant by your brother or father you are the one sent to Dar al-Re'aya to protect the family's reputation,' she said.

Saudi Officials Deny The Abuse

Despite growing international outrage, the Saudi government has pushed back. While officials confirmed in 2018 plans to expand these centres, including ones for women who break traffic laws, they have denied any wrongdoing inside the facilities.

'These are not detention centres, and any allegation of abuse is taken seriously and subject to thorough investigation,' a spokesperson claimed.

Officials added that women can leave the centres freely and without permission from male guardians — a claim contradicted by victim accounts.

A Fight For Freedom That Isn't Over

Data from 2016 revealed at least 233 girls and women held in these prisons. But the real number may be far higher, especially with reports of new centres being built.

The Saudi government may deny wrongdoing, but the stories are becoming impossible to ignore. Women are being punished for their pain, imprisoned for their defiance, and forced to choose between abuse or obedience.

Human rights groups continue to demand transparency and accountability, while survivors like Sarah Al-Yahia fight to bring these abuses into the global spotlight.

Until the world acts, too many Saudi women remain trapped—in silence, in fear and behind the bars of so-called 'care'.