Hajj Ministry gives out wristbands to protect children during pilgrimage

Social responsibility campaign aims to help youths who become lost and reunite them with their families

The wristband scheme is designed to take care of young visitors to help ensure their parents are able to perform Hajj with ease and comfort. Photo: The General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the PShow more

Special arrangements have been made to prevent children from getting lost during Hajj.

Volunteers are providing wristbands, lanyards and badges to children participating in the pilgrimage, under a safety campaign by Saudi Arabia's Agency for Social and Voluntary Services.

Fahad bin Salem Al Hatirishi, the Director of the Department of Young Visitors said the agency would offer children maps and bracelets displaying the mobile number of their parents in case they get lost.

“This is done to ensure we remove all obstacles from their path, in accordance with the constant guidance and support of the General President of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, Abdul Rahman Al Sudais,” he said.

Amjad Al Hazmi, the Undersecretary General of Social and Voluntary Services, said the agency was keen to provide the best services to pilgrims at the Grand Mosque, to raise the level of social responsibility and take care of young visitors to help ensure their parents were able to perform Hajj rituals with ease and comfort.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced in February that children below the age of 7 would be allowed to enter the two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah as long as they were vaccinated against Covid-19.

In April, the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques launched a programme called Guidance Codes, providing bracelets for children who were accompanying Umrah pilgrims, as well as those visiting the Grand Mosque.