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RIYADH – The Ministry of Social Affairs deposited on Tuesday SR103 million in the accounts of persons on social security for food allowance for the month of Rajab – mid-June to mid-July – while a further SR30 million was paid out to help towards electricity bills for the previous month.

Minister of Social Affairs Yousef Al-Othaiman said the move had come at the instigation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

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RIYADH – Dr. Yousuf Al-Othaimeen, Minister of Social Affairs, has categorically denied that his office has been ineffective in addressing poverty.

Al-Othaimeen, who stressed that those in need are assisted by several programs, including one that trains sons of poor families to help them earn a living, said the government also provides billions of riyals in aid.

Al-Othaimeen addressed accusations Wednesday at a function here to honor his organizations retirees.

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RIYADH – The Ministry of Social Affairs will install cameras to monitor staff members in social protection houses for boys. The decision has been taken in the wake of increasing cases of staff members violent acts against inmates, said an official source.

He said the authorities have already received bids to install cameras in supervisors offices, corridors and inmates rooms.

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RIYADH – The Ministry of Social Affairs will not accept elderly people into social care homes who have family members able to care for them.

This is according to Dr. Abdullah Al-Yusuf, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs for Care and Development Affairs. He stressed that the directives issued in this regard do not permit the government to care for parents who are victims of their disobedient children.

He said the condition for being accepted into a home is the absence of a family member able to care for the person.

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Chairman and members linked to SR4.22m asset disputeJEDDAH/AL-QUNFUDAH – Administrative and control agencies have started probing alleged financial irregularities committed by a charitable society headquartered in one of Makkah’s governorates.
Preliminary investigations show that the society has violated the rules of the Ministry of Social Affairs which define the functions of charitable societies. It is alleged the society spent huge sums of money without official receipts.
Investigations reveal that the society’s chairman and members have refused to transfer an amount of SR4.22 million, representing fixed assets of the society’s charitable depot, into the society’s name. The report further said the chairman and members refused to transfer the ownership of other assets. In addition, they refused to reveal the whereabouts of assets of the society outside the governorate.
According to copies of the reports obtained by Okaz, the salaries of housemaids and drivers working for the chairman and members are being paid from the budget of the society. The initial auditing also shows that financial aid was paid from the society’s account to people outside the governorate, including an amount of SR1 million as an emergency aid. This took place without field research, which is a requirement for deciding such payments.
An investigation being carried out by a high level committee also found that the society previously paid for travel allowances and incentives without any official documentation. There has also not been a required separation between petty cash and allocations for activities. This is being seen as conclusive evidence of irregularities in the society’s accounts.
An official source told Okaz that the Administrative Intelligence has received the case file and will launch an investigation into the alleged irregularities.
An official source at the chartered accountant’s office, who has been assigned by the Ministry of Social Affairs to audit the society’s accounts, said a report submitted by the chartered accountant shows that 20 out of 33 items in the report are considered violations. 
In a telephone conversation with Okaz, the source said: “The chartered accountant tried several times to correct these irregularities in the accounts with the authorities concerned at the society, but the insistence of some of the society’s members to not abide properly by the rules, aggravated the problem.”
Another official said: “The role of the chartered accountant’s office has nothing to do with handling problems. It serves as a supervisory body that audits the accounts and revises the financial statements. It lists and submits reports to the authorities assigned to look after the society’s accountants, which is the Ministry of Social Affairs.
One of the alleged financial irregularities discovered by the chartered accountant is that an amount of SR21,320 was paid as clothing allowance for certain beneficiaries without being signed by the responsible officials.
During a telephone conversation, the society’s director asked Okaz not to publish the report. He claimed that the violations were not verified by a neutral body, adding that the entire file is on the desk of the governor.
Before Okaz went to print, the society’s director rushed into the newspaper’s office and asked the reporter not to quote him in any way. – Okaz/SG

RIYADH – Seven social protection centers will be built throughout the country to help protect children from abuse.

This is according to Dr. Muhammad Al-Harbi, Director of General Administration for Social Protection at the Ministry of Social Affairs. He said the centers have been approved by the Ministry of Finance.

Al-Harbi made the announcement during a symposium on violence against children at health facilities. These new centers will be constructed at charitable societies. He said an agreement was signed with 10 societies in Tabuk, Najran, Baha and Al-Ahsa. The ministry gave SR14 million to help these societies build these centers.

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TABUK – A judge in Tabuk has ruled that a divorced Saudi woman can take custody of her two children because their father is addicted to drugs and abuses them physically and psychologically. However, the woman claims that her former husband does not want to recognize the courts decision and continues to harass them.

She said she has appealed to various government bodies for protection, but all her attempts have been unsuccessful.

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RIYADH – A shortage of trained staff and lack of incentives are hampering efforts by the General Administration for Social Protection to counter family violence in society.

This is according to a report released recently by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

The ministry made it clear that these factors are making it difficult for the ministry to offer services to those affected by family violence.

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JEDDAH – The Human Rights Commission (HRC) and a team from the Ministry of Social Affairs in Makkah are engaged in attempts to defuse a crisis involving orphans under the supervision of Al-Bir Society in Jeddah.

The orphans are accusing officials of the society of administrative and educational irregularities. They also claim that a number of orphans at the Al-Bir home have stopped their studies for more than one month.

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MAKKAH – A report by the Ministry of Social Affairs has counted 22,784 persons begging in the streets of the Kingdom, 81 percent of them non-Saudis.

The report, commissioned to study the extent of factors behind begging in the country, said that of the 22,784 beggars recorded only two – a young man and a young woman in Riyadh – had university qualifications.

Riyadh also registered the largest number of beggars with secondary school qualifications.

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