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Saudi Arabia’s governance is underpinned by the principle of providing social care to all its citizens on an equal footing. The Basic Law of Governance provides for promotion and the protection of this right, stipulating in Article 10 that “Saudi Arabia shall aspire to promote family bonds and Arab-Islamic values. It shall take care of all individuals and provide the right conditions for the growth of their talents and skills”. The law guarantees all individuals comprehensive care and protection, giving special focus to child rights and requiring that free-of-charge healthcare be provided to children, including access to mandatory vaccinations as well as healthcare services free of charge. The Law also guarantees child’s right to free education for education and academic stages, in addition to employing curricula to achieve social and cultural development that ensures sound upbringing of children and encourages them to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. In addition, Saudi Arab
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Children's rights represent a set of human rights tailored to meet the needs of individuals under the age of 18, considering their psychological nature and special circumstances. These rights include additional guarantees alongside basic human rights, aiming to address children's needs and provide an environment that fosters their optimal growth and development.
In Saudi Arabia, children's rights are diverse and include, most prominently, as follows:
These rights aim to provide a secure and supportive environment that enhances children's well-being and helps achieve their future aspirations.
The Child Safety at Home Household accidents can occur unexpectedly, ranging from apparent hazards to those that might go unnoticed. Preventing such accidents requires following specific guidelines focusing on safety in various areas of the home. These measures aim to reduce risks and protect all family members in spaces like the kitchen, bathroom, and living rooms, and thereby creating a safe and suitable environment for all family members.
Common Accidents:
Prevention Guidelines for Specific Areas:
Kitchen:
Bedroom:
Bathrooms:
Road accidents are one of the leading causes of child fatalities annually, with a noticeable rise since 2015 due to factors like driver distraction from smart devices during driving. Although some drivers adopt safe practices, risks persist due to other drivers' behavior.
For Maintaining Child Safety during Travel, it is Recommended to:
These simple steps significantly reduce the likelihood of severe injuries in case of accidents, and enhance the child safety on the road.
A child’s health is fundamental to their proper growth, and physical and mental development. It encompasses physical, psychological and social aspects that ensure a safe and wholesome life for the child. This involves providing balanced nutrition, preventive and therapeutic healthcare, and psychological and social support. To access these services, click here.
Healthy food is the cornerstone of general health, as it provides the body with the energy and nutrients essential for children's growth and development. Balanced nutrition is key to improving physical and mental performance, thereby enabling children to engage in daily activities energetically and effectively.
It is called "colostrum" because it is the first secretion of breast milk within the first hour after birth and tends to have a yellowish color. It is rich in the nutritional and health components that the baby needs to begin a healthy and safe life. It is composed primarily of:
Its main components include:
Dietary diversity is essential for meeting the body's nutritional various needs, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. These nutrients enable the body to perform its functions efficiently, such as energy generation, growth support, tissue repair, and biochemical regulation.
To prevent chronic diseases, it is recommended to:
These practices help reduce the risk of:
The World Health Organization recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. Examples of such activities include:
Guidelines for Parents to Encourage Children's Physical Activity:
For more information, click here.
Helping children lose weight without compromising growth can involve maintaining their current weight while they grow taller. These methods include:
To learn more, view the Child Nutrition Guide.
Saudi Arabia has dedicated significant efforts to combat domestic violence and mitigate its effects by establishing programs and systems such as the National Family Safety Program, the Protection from Abuse Law, and the National Project to Prevent Bullying. These initiatives aim to protect victims, enforce rights, and punish offenders. Achieving greater effectiveness requires defining a comprehensive concept of domestic violence aligned with religion, customs, traditions, and local laws. This is part of the "Development of Cooperation Mechanisms Between Entities Concerned with Domestic Violence" project, which aims at unifying efforts and clarifying approaches to addressing these issues.
For more details, click here.
For more details about the various types of domestic violence and their prevalence in Saudi society, click here.
Reporting Domestic Violence, An electronic service that allows citizens and residents to seek assistance if they or others are exposed to abuse. To access the service, click here.
In today's world, children can access the internet from various locations, such as homes, schools, and public spaces. This necessitates ongoing awareness of its risks and safe usage practices to ensure their psychological well-being.
By following these guidelines, risks can be minimized, ensuring safe and beneficial use of modern technologies. For more information, click here.
Education is one of the most prioritized sectors in Saudi Arabia due to its pivotal role in developing human resources, enhancing efficiency, and keeping pace with scientific and technological advancements. The state's commitment to education is reflected in Article (30) of the Basic Law of Governance, which mandates providing public education and combating illiteracy. Similarly, Article (29) emphasizes the state's focus on supporting sciences, literature, and culture, encouraging scientific research, protecting Islamic and Arab heritage, and contributing to Arab, Islamic, and human civilizations. National development plans have concentrated on improving the quality of public education and expanding its capacity to accommodate more students.
The Ministry of Education aims to enhance the comprehensive development of children in early childhood (ages 3–8). This focus covers physical, social, emotional and cognitive aspects, progressing gradually based on what the child has learned in previous stages. These policies were designed to meet the specific needs of young learners, aiming to improve performance efficiency and develop strategic plans to prepare children effectively for higher education stages.
According to the Ministry's organizational guide issued by Council of Ministers' Decision No. 511 dated 02/09/1440 AH, the General Administration for Early Childhood, which is affiliated with the General Education Agency, provides exceptional educational services for children aged 3 to the third grade. It also monitors performance at this stage using approved indicators to ensure students' readiness for integration into basic education.
The Noor System in Saudi Arabia offers comprehensive and free services for students and parents, allowing easy registration of children and monitoring their academic performance. The system simplifies registration procedures, replaces traditional methods and aligns with the government's efforts to shift toward e-governance as part of Saudi Vision 2030, spearheaded by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
For registration click here.
Saudi Arabia is committed to providing a dignified life for all citizens, ensuring education for everyone without exception. From this perspective, Saudi Arabia strives to achieve equality in educational opportunities between children with disabilities and their peers. Saudi Arabia has worked on providing educational and pedagogical services tailored to the needs of children with disabilities, through the establishment of specialized institutions for cases that require special care and attention. In addition, inclusive education has been adopted, allowing children with disabilities to learn alongside their peers without disabilities, aiming to promote the acceptance of diversity in abilities.
The government provides specialized public institutes for various disabilities, such as "Intellectual Education Institutes, Institutes for Visual Impairment, and Institutes for Hearing Impairment." These institutes are tailored to the needs of their targeted groups, offering curricula supervised by specialized teachers and rehabilitation services to meet the diverse needs of children with disabilities.
Students with disabilities are integrated into public education schools, with the necessary educational and rehabilitative support to help them keep pace with their peers. This includes support for children with learning difficulties, behavioral disorders, or autism. The Ministry of Education works to create a conducive learning environment in inclusive schools and train staff to ensure a healthy educational atmosphere that meets the needs of these students.
For more details about the Ministry of Education's departments, click here.
Since its establishment, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has shown great interest in the care of orphans, setting solid foundations for their welfare and ensuring that all means of support are available to preserve their dignity and help them become self-reliant.
The General Administration for Orphan Care at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Family is responsible for overseeing the affairs of orphans and providing them with necessary care. The administration aims to set public policies for the care of orphans and those in similar situations, as well as other social groups with special circumstances, such as children with unknown parents.
The administration bases its work on the principles of Islamic law and employs modern scientific methods, whether through care institutions or by following up on orphans in foster and friendly families.
The administration provides its services through two specialized departments:
This department is grounded in the belief that the natural family environment is the most suitable for the social, psychological and mental well-being of orphaned children, ensuring their healthy and balanced upbringing. Institutional care is considered a last resort for caring orphans, when social studies show that no suitable family environment is available, whether among relatives or foster families.
The department also supervises the application of foster and friendly family regulations, and handles sponsorship requests carefully according to the established conditions and regulations. These Programs include:
Program Objectives
Support and Rewards Mechanism
The Institutional Care Department aims to achieve family stability for children under care within nurseries, social welfare homes, and model educational institutions. It also compiles statistical, technical and administrative reports related to childhood care programs. It further undertakes full supervision of social nurseries, social education for boys and girls, in addition to model educational institutions, ensuring the provision of an integrated and appropriate care environment for children.
Social welfare nurseries represent the initial phase of orphan care. They are institutions affiliated with the Social Affairs Agency, aiming to provide comprehensive care for young orphans and children with special circumstances, such as those with unknown parents or similar situations, who lack appropriate care within their families or community.
These nurseries are designed to offer a suitable social and psychological environment for children from birth to six years old, providing full care that compensates for the absence of the natural family. Children also receive healthcare, social, psychological, educational, and recreational services suited to their needs at this stage of life.
These homes are subject to the supervision of the Institutional Care Department, affiliated with the General Administration of Orphan Care, to ensure the quality of the services provided and achieve the goals of comprehensive care.
Conditions for Admission to Social Welfare Nurseries
First: Comprehensive care within the Nursery, including:
Second: Internal Programs and Activities
Childcare nurseries aim to develop children's skills and enhance their social and cultural experiences through a variety of activities supervised by administrative and technical staff. These Programs include:
These activities aim to provide a comprehensive educational and recreational environment that supports the child's growth and development.
Third: External Programs and Activities
These programs and activities, conducted at specific times, aim to integrate children into society. These activities include:
The purpose of social welfare institutions is to house orphans, children whose parents are unknown, and those in similar situations, and provide a comprehensive educational environment that compensates for the absence of a natural family. These institutions aim to offer complete care that supports the children’s growth and their adaptation to themselves and society, through separate institutions for boys and girls. The institutions accept children who are at least six years old, providing them with an environment as close as possible to a natural family setting.
Monthly Allowances based on Educational Levels:
Groups Eligible for Admission to Social Welfare Institutions:
Conditions for Admission to Social Welfare Institutions for Boys and Girls:
Model educational institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represent the next care stage for male orphans after they graduate from social welfare institutions and obtain their primary school certificate. These institutions are generally designated for academically outstanding students. They aim to provide comprehensive care and offer educational opportunities at the intermediate and secondary levels to ensure the continuation of their academic excellence and skill development.
Conditions for Admission to Model Educational Institutions:
Model educational institutions plan and implement various care programs and activities under the supervision of a specialized technical committee. These programs aim to develop students’ social, cultural, and athletic aspects, while organizing free time based on their interests, such as engaging in beneficial hobbies and allocating time for studying.
The social section at the institution supervises all activities and programs both inside and outside the institution to ensure that educational and social goals are achieved in an integrated manner.
As the legal guardian for orphaned girls and those in similar situations, the Ministry considers the upbringing and marriage of girls a primary responsibility. To ensure this goal is achieved thoughtfully, the Ministry has established detailed conditions and regulations for marriage applicants. The procedure includes an interview with specialists to verify that the applicant is qualified and able to marry. The applicant is required to fill out specific forms that include:
This procedure aims to ensure compatibility between the two parties and prepare the girl for a stable married life.
Disability refers to a condition of impairment resulting from partial or total loss of physical, sensory, or cognitive abilities, hindering an individual’s ability to perform normal daily activities. According to the World Health Organization, disability includes physical ailments, organ dysfunction, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. In Saudi Arabia, the system for the care of disabled individuals defines disability as the presence of one or more impairments, such as visual, auditory, cognitive, motor, learning difficulties, speech disorders, behavioral and emotional issues, autism, multiple disabilities, etc.
Saudi Arabia has taken significant steps to care for people with disabilities by ensuring their rights and providing necessary prevention, care, and rehabilitation. Efforts include medical, psychological, social and educational interventions to identify disabilities early and reduce their impact. Additionally, it provides comprehensive services to help individuals with disabilities adapt to their environment, develop their capabilities, become self-reliant, and contribute as productive members of society.
This Concept of Rights for People with Disabilities encompasses all the rights and freedoms that should be granted to individuals with disabilities, whether social, economic, or legal. The principle of equality and non-discrimination is the foundation of these rights, as it is the basis for the right to education, work, healthcare, and social protection. This principle branches into a set of fundamental rights that promote justice and fairness, including:
Key Measures to Protect the Rights of People with Disabilities:
Child support is a fundamental pillar in Saudi Arabia, and part of the social security system, demonstrating the government's commitment to promoting child welfare and ensuring family stability. These efforts contribute to covering expenses related to education, healthcare, and basic needs, and so supporting the overall development of children and families. These efforts have led to the launch of many initiatives and notable programs, including:
The Ministry of Education has laid down the foundations for the physical, social, emotional and mental development of students, evolving these aspects simultaneously from an early age (ages 3-8). The process in each stage depends on the capabilities the child has achieved in the previous stage. These policies address the special needs of young learners, improve performance levels, and develop plans for building and shaping the institution to prepare children for higher levels of education. To access the service, click here.
This refers to the concepts, principles, systems and services provided to promote students' health at an early age and enhance the overall public health. This is achieved by utilizing health sciences, such as public health, preventive medicine, health education, biostatistics, nutrition, and educational sciences, in addition to employing communication and media to spread health awareness directly within schools or indirectly in the broader community.To access the service, click here.
As part of the Ministry of Health’s efforts to maintain the health of children in Saudi Arabia and protect them from diseases, this service was created to remind parents about vaccination appointments against targeted diseases according to the Ministry of Health's new vaccination schedule, with reminder messages sent.
Saudi Arabia places significant importance on family health, offering extensive services for mothers and children due to their significant impact on community health. Through the Ministry of Health, specialized departments for maternal and child care have been established in healthcare centers, alongside awareness campaigns that emphasize child safety and promote breastfeeding. The Ministry of Health also launched other programs to enhance health awareness. For more information, click here.
Initiatives and Services Provided by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development
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