"In the absence of the father, the mother becomes both mother and father to her children," said the daily, which interviewed inmates' wives recently. They all complained of their financial woes and the stigma society attaches to them and their children. Umm Abdullah, whose husband is behind bars, said she had a happy marriage for several years and was blessed with four children. Everything was going all right for her up until her husband was arrested by the anti-drug security forces.

Women and children are the real victims here; they bear the brunt of their deviant parents. They grieve each others' absence. It is especially hard for children to deal with this. It usually results in behavioural problems and overall dysfunction. They feel angry, lonely, abandoned and alienated, so most withdraw from people and society in general. Children of prisoners are five times more likely to end up in prison later in life than other children.

Umm Abdullah was forced to work as a street vendor due to the financial conditions she found herself in. She said she was not getting enough from that business so had to resort to begging on the streets to be able to feed the children. "I was caught several times by the anti-beggary squads but was released out of pity. When things got worse I began working as a cleaner in houses," she said.

"What really worries me though is the society's attitude towards my children who are innocent bystanders in all of this. They were punished too, for something they had no hand in. The loss of a parent is extremely difficult in any circumstance. All my children are suffering from depression and have developed a feeling of inferiority and have alienated themselves from people. They do not mingle with kids their own age," she added.

There are thousands of Saudi families who suffer similar problems. The society rejects the family of the inmate and forces them to move out from the towns or villages they live in, so they are forced to seek refuge in cities where no body knows them.

Umm Abdulaziz had to move from Riyadh to Jeddah. "The reason I left my hometown is my neighbour's behaviour toward my children for a crime they didn't commit. Our close relatives abandoned us and gave no support whether it is financial or emotional. They even started to insult my children because their father was accused of embezzling the company's money he was working for. This left me with no choice but to sneak out late one night. It was a wise decision, otherwise I would have lost my children." she said.

Umm Sarra moved from the furthest side of north Jeddah to the furthest south of Jeddah in order to hide from her neighbour's curious and intruding eyes. She said she could not bear her neighbour's attitude when the police arrested her husband in broad daylight. "Me and my five children depend on the SR400, which my husband earns from his job in the prison, in addition to the aid we get from the Committee for Helping Inmates Families," she said.

"We are living in great isolation to avoid society's sceptical vision. I would like to know one thing, why does society punish me and my family as well as many other families for sins they didn't commit?" she asked.