Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia suspends parental visitation rulings
April 8, 2020, 4:08 pm

Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia suspends parental visitation rulings

King Salman bin Abdulaziz during a Saudi Cabinet meeting on December 24 2019. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz suspended final rulings and judicial orders on visitation rights of children of separated parents in the latest effort to try and curb the spread of the novel coronavirus among households, according to state media reports.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency said Wednesday that parents were notified of the changes by text message, the latest measure by the Kingdom to stem the rising number of new infections as a nearly nationwide 24-hour curfew takes place.

Saudi Arabia has 2,750 confirmed cases of the virus, including 41 deaths. This week, the Kingdom began imposing a 24-hour curfew in the capital, Riyadh, and several other cities, including Jeddah and Mecca. It has already barred travel to and from Riyadh, Mecca and Medina, suspended prayers at mosques and closed Islam’s holiest sites to pilgrims to limit infections.

A Saudi man wearing a protective mask as a precaution against COVID-19 coronavirus disease in Riyadh on March 15, 2020. (AFP)

King Salman on Tuesday also ordered the temporary release from prison of people serving sentences related to unpaid private debts and ordered the suspension of all rulings related to such cases. The government did not say how many detainees would be affected.

Saudi media quoted the country’s Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah on Tuesday as warning that between 10,000 to 200,000 people could be infected with the virus in the Kingdom within weeks, based on four different expert studies.

There are 128,000 cases across much of the Middle East, with Iran the hardest-hit country in the region.

source: The Associated Press

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”