Many children with disabilities are abandoned by their parents, siblings and other family members at rehabilitation centers in the Kingdom, said to media report on Wednesday.
Some children receive no visits, while others are not taken back by their families after the completion of their treatment, the report quoted sources as saying.
There are currently 1,152 children and young people of all ages in the country’s rehabilitation centers, with Jeddah having the most at 550, followed by Makkah with 175 and Qunfudha with 78.
Aziza Al-Shahri, director of the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center for Girls in Jeddah, said that the facility has 350 males and 200 females from age three upward. Of this number, there are 18 in its special unit, she said.
Al-Shahri said the Ministry of Labor and Social Development should try to intervene because these children need their families. “It’s so sad that society has this culture of rejecting children with disabilities,” she said.
Amani Ammoriehi, a psychologist at the center, said emotional and physical contact is vital for good mental health. When these children do not have contact with their families they become aggressive and may even stop eating.
Al-Shahri said there are some parents who genuinely care about their children with disabilities but cannot travel long distances to rehabilitation centers because of old age or cost. This is when the facility uses social workers to keep in constant telephonic and other contact with them.

Source: Arab News