The mother losing custody when her daughter turned seven is directly related to sharia law. Father custody is MANDATED by law--and we see what the horrible results are for women and children again and again. This is the "utopia" the fathers rights folks want for us.
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/saudi-dad-beats-7-year-old-daughter-death-saying-i-dont-love-you-650499
Saudi dad beats 7-year-old daughter to death for saying 'I don't love you'
By Johnlee Varghese
| Updated: October 14, 2015 15:09 IST
A Saudi man reportedly beat his seven-year-old daughter to death in Riyadh after she told him that she does not love him. The incident took place on the day of Eid Al Adha, the feast of Sacrifice on 24 September, police sources said.
Yara, the victim, was living with her father in Riyadh for the last three months. Her mother had separated from her father and has been raising the child till she was seven years old. "Her father refused to allow her live with me and three months ago, she went to live with him in Riyadh as per the regulations. She did not wish to move in with him, and she was very unhappy," the mother told Saudi daily Al Watan.
On 24 September, the father asked the child if she loved him, to which she replied "I don't love you". Furious at the reaction, the angry father ripped off a pipe from the air conditioner in the room and hit her with it. He then smashed her head with a metal can, police said.
The father in his statement told the police that he was trying to educate her. After punishing the child, he locked her up in a room. But later when he checked up on her, he saw that her condition had deteriorated. The child died on the way to the hospital, he told police.
The case is still pending in the court and the investigation is still on. The father is yet to be arrested.
But as the reports of the incident appeared in media, many in Saudi reacted with outrage against the actions of the father. "This is a most heinous crime and the criminal should be buried alive," Gulf News quoted a social media user, Abu Nawas.
Another social media user, Noor said "He should be put to death without delay."
Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Custodial dad, step found guilty of child abuse (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150830254887
Lama’s father and stepmother guilty of child abuse
Last updated: Saturday, August 29, 2015 10:27 PM
Mishal Al-Otaibi Saudi Gazette
RIYADH — The Court of Appeals sentenced the father of Lama to 400 lashes and three-year imprisonment for domestic violence and child abuse, said Ministry of Justice spokesman Sheikh Mansour Al-Qafari.
He said Lama’s stepmother was sentenced to 150 lashes and 10 months in prison for not reporting her husband to the authorities and consenting to domestic violence and child abuse.
The parents were found guilty by the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.
Al-Qafari said Lama used to live with her father and stepmother, who would hit her to discipline her. She recently died due to an undisclosed cause.
The biological mother of the victim and ex-wife of the father filed a lawsuit against the father. Al-Qafari said Lama’s biological mother wanted the death penalty for the father, but she dropped the case at the behest of lawyers.
The Ministry of Justice spokesman said there have been many false accusations in social media regarding the case.
He said Lama’s death is not linked to domestic violence and child abuse.
“The parents were convicted of abuse, not murder. The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution found no evidence linking the victim’s death to the abuse she endured,” said Al-Qafari.
He added that there have been accusations of sexual assault against the father in social media. The accusations are false and have no substantial evidence, said Al-Qafari.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150830254887
Lama’s father and stepmother guilty of child abuse
Last updated: Saturday, August 29, 2015 10:27 PM
Mishal Al-Otaibi Saudi Gazette
RIYADH — The Court of Appeals sentenced the father of Lama to 400 lashes and three-year imprisonment for domestic violence and child abuse, said Ministry of Justice spokesman Sheikh Mansour Al-Qafari.
He said Lama’s stepmother was sentenced to 150 lashes and 10 months in prison for not reporting her husband to the authorities and consenting to domestic violence and child abuse.
The parents were found guilty by the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.
Al-Qafari said Lama used to live with her father and stepmother, who would hit her to discipline her. She recently died due to an undisclosed cause.
The biological mother of the victim and ex-wife of the father filed a lawsuit against the father. Al-Qafari said Lama’s biological mother wanted the death penalty for the father, but she dropped the case at the behest of lawyers.
The Ministry of Justice spokesman said there have been many false accusations in social media regarding the case.
He said Lama’s death is not linked to domestic violence and child abuse.
“The parents were convicted of abuse, not murder. The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution found no evidence linking the victim’s death to the abuse she endured,” said Al-Qafari.
He added that there have been accusations of sexual assault against the father in social media. The accusations are false and have no substantial evidence, said Al-Qafari.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Custodial dad burns 4-year-old daughter who asked to see her mom (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
Fathers rights are institutionalized in Saudi Arabia. Women can't even drive legally. This is the result.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2015/05/06/
Saudi father burns daughter who asked to see her mom
By Saudi Gazette | Jeddah Wednesday, 6 May 2015
A Saudi father was accused of burning his 4-year-old daughter with a lighter after she asked to see her mother, whom he is divorced from.
The ex-wife reported to police that the man was physically and emotionally abusing their child Elana, the local newspaper Al-Watan reported. A source said the mother also claimed that her daughter’s stepmother abused the girl as well.
The source said: “The mother said she got married when she was 20 and her husband started abusing her a year and a half after giving birth to their daughter.
“She reported that he locked her out of the house late at night and locked her in the bathroom until she demanded a divorce.”
The source added the mother remarried and was able to regularly see her daughter before her ex-husband filed a custody case and won, preventing her from seeing her daughter since.
“The mother lived with her husband in Madinah but after her ex-husband won the custody case he remarried and moved to Jeddah. The mother divorced her second husband to live in Jeddah and be able to see her daughter. ”
The source also said the mother saw the burns on her daughter’s left arm on one of her visits. “The mother took her daughter to hospital and reported the father and his wife to police.
“The father admitted that he caused the burn but said he only meant to scare her and not actually burn her.” Elana’s lawyer and legal consultant Assim Al-Mulla said child abuse is one of the most serious offenses in Saudi Arabia.
“Offenders are subjected to a fine of up to SR50,000 in addition to a year in prison. “The father’s case is currently at the Penal Court. We will not rest until the father and any other relative in the family who has abused her receive the maximum punishment as listed by the law.” This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on May 6, 2015. Last Update: Wednesday, 6 May 2015 KSA 11:09 - GMT 08:09
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2015/05/06/
Saudi father burns daughter who asked to see her mom
By Saudi Gazette | Jeddah Wednesday, 6 May 2015
A Saudi father was accused of burning his 4-year-old daughter with a lighter after she asked to see her mother, whom he is divorced from.
The ex-wife reported to police that the man was physically and emotionally abusing their child Elana, the local newspaper Al-Watan reported. A source said the mother also claimed that her daughter’s stepmother abused the girl as well.
The source said: “The mother said she got married when she was 20 and her husband started abusing her a year and a half after giving birth to their daughter.
“She reported that he locked her out of the house late at night and locked her in the bathroom until she demanded a divorce.”
The source added the mother remarried and was able to regularly see her daughter before her ex-husband filed a custody case and won, preventing her from seeing her daughter since.
“The mother lived with her husband in Madinah but after her ex-husband won the custody case he remarried and moved to Jeddah. The mother divorced her second husband to live in Jeddah and be able to see her daughter. ”
The source also said the mother saw the burns on her daughter’s left arm on one of her visits. “The mother took her daughter to hospital and reported the father and his wife to police.
“The father admitted that he caused the burn but said he only meant to scare her and not actually burn her.” Elana’s lawyer and legal consultant Assim Al-Mulla said child abuse is one of the most serious offenses in Saudi Arabia.
“Offenders are subjected to a fine of up to SR50,000 in addition to a year in prison. “The father’s case is currently at the Penal Court. We will not rest until the father and any other relative in the family who has abused her receive the maximum punishment as listed by the law.” This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on May 6, 2015. Last Update: Wednesday, 6 May 2015 KSA 11:09 - GMT 08:09
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Custodial dad who raped, tortured, and murdered 5-year-old daughter set free (Saudi Arabia)
This is what institutionalized fathers rights look like, folks. Murdered women and children make up a "special category" of murder victims for which legal justice does not apply. And a mere female is worth less in "blood money" as well.
Vestiges of this still exist in the "secularized" west, where there is still an institutionalized indifference to domestic violence and child abuse victims. There are all kinds of dads that are documented at this site that got minimal punishment for killing their children--or no punishment at all.
Dad is identified as FAYHAN AL-GHAMDI.
http://m.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/saudi-preacher-who-raped-daughter-5-death-freed/2525379/
Saudi preacher who 'raped daughter, 5, to death', freed
John Hall (28th January 2015 6:51 AM)
A ‘celebrity’ Saudi preacher accused of raping, torturing and killing his five-year-old daughter has reportedly been released from custody. Fayhan al-Ghamdi had been accused of killing his daughter Lama.
A 'celebrity' Saudi preacher accused of raping, torturing and killing his five-year-old daughter has reportedly been released from custody after agreeing to pay 'blood money'.
Fayhan al-Ghamdi had been accused of killing his daughter Lama, who suffered multiple injuries including a crushed skull, broken back, broken ribs, a broken left arm and extensive bruising and burns. Social workers say she had also been repeatedly raped and burnt.
Fayhan al-Ghamdi admitted using a cane and cables to inflict the injuries after doubting his five-year-old daughter's virginity and taking her to a doctor, according to the campaign group Women to Drive.
Rather than getting the death penalty or receiving a long prison sentence for the crime, Fayhan al-Ghamdi served only a few months in jail before a judge ruled the prosecution could only seek 'blood money'.
Albawaba News reported the judge as saying: "Blood money and the time the defendant had served in prison since Lama's death suffices as punishment."
Fayhan al-Ghamdi, who regularly appears on television in Saudi Arabia, is said to have agreed to pay £31,000 to Lama's mother.
The money is considered compensation under Islamic law, although it is only half the amount that would have been paid had Lama been a boy.
Despite Saudi Arabia's famously strict legal system, Women to Drive say fathers cannot be executed for murdering their children in the country. Equally, husbands cannot be executed for murdering their wives.
Formal objections to the ruling have been raised by three Saudi activists, and the twitter hashtag #AnaLama (which translates as I Am Lama) has been set up.
Local reports say public anger over the settlement is growing across Saudi Arabia, with authorities planning to set up a 24-hour hotline to take calls about child abuse.
Vestiges of this still exist in the "secularized" west, where there is still an institutionalized indifference to domestic violence and child abuse victims. There are all kinds of dads that are documented at this site that got minimal punishment for killing their children--or no punishment at all.
Dad is identified as FAYHAN AL-GHAMDI.
http://m.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/saudi-preacher-who-raped-daughter-5-death-freed/2525379/
Saudi preacher who 'raped daughter, 5, to death', freed
John Hall (28th January 2015 6:51 AM)
A ‘celebrity’ Saudi preacher accused of raping, torturing and killing his five-year-old daughter has reportedly been released from custody. Fayhan al-Ghamdi had been accused of killing his daughter Lama.
A 'celebrity' Saudi preacher accused of raping, torturing and killing his five-year-old daughter has reportedly been released from custody after agreeing to pay 'blood money'.
Fayhan al-Ghamdi had been accused of killing his daughter Lama, who suffered multiple injuries including a crushed skull, broken back, broken ribs, a broken left arm and extensive bruising and burns. Social workers say she had also been repeatedly raped and burnt.
Fayhan al-Ghamdi admitted using a cane and cables to inflict the injuries after doubting his five-year-old daughter's virginity and taking her to a doctor, according to the campaign group Women to Drive.
Rather than getting the death penalty or receiving a long prison sentence for the crime, Fayhan al-Ghamdi served only a few months in jail before a judge ruled the prosecution could only seek 'blood money'.
Albawaba News reported the judge as saying: "Blood money and the time the defendant had served in prison since Lama's death suffices as punishment."
Fayhan al-Ghamdi, who regularly appears on television in Saudi Arabia, is said to have agreed to pay £31,000 to Lama's mother.
The money is considered compensation under Islamic law, although it is only half the amount that would have been paid had Lama been a boy.
Despite Saudi Arabia's famously strict legal system, Women to Drive say fathers cannot be executed for murdering their children in the country. Equally, husbands cannot be executed for murdering their wives.
Formal objections to the ruling have been raised by three Saudi activists, and the twitter hashtag #AnaLama (which translates as I Am Lama) has been set up.
Local reports say public anger over the settlement is growing across Saudi Arabia, with authorities planning to set up a 24-hour hotline to take calls about child abuse.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Dad used hot iron to torture kids, including 3-month-old baby (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
This is what institutionalized fathers rights looks like, folks, Even though Mom is employed and Dad is a deadbeat torture freak, she KNOWS he would still get custody in the event of a divorce. Women (and by extension, mothers) have virtually no rights in Saudi Arabia and are under the thumb of a male guardian for their entire lives. One result is the rampant abuse of children as violent men gain free rein to terrorize women and children all they want.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/family-tragedy-in-saudi-arabia-as-nine-siblings-tortured-1.1424288
Family tragedy in Saudi Arabia as nine siblings ‘tortured’
Father said to have used iron to burn children, including three-month-old baby
By Habib ToumiBureau Chief Published: 15:05 December 9, 2014
Gulf News
Manama: Nine siblings, aged between three months and 18 years, were reportedly tortured by their father over the disappearance of 100 riyals (Dh87) from their home in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
The father is said to have used a hot iron to punish his children, including his recently born daughter, by burning their legs and feet.
The case was discovered by the high school where the eldest daughter was enrolled as a student.
The school principal noticed she was walking barefoot in the school and wanted to know why.
The student said she could not put on her shoes because of the pain she was suffering from the burns inflicted by her father.
Encouraged by the principal to speak out, the daughter revealed how her father abused her and her siblings and how he had tortured them with a hot iron since Wednesday when he could not find the 100 riyals, local daily Okaz reported on Tuesday.
The torture included the three-month baby, the daughter said. The principal alerted the Social Protection care home in Jeddah, prompting its specialists to decide to provide psychological and social support for the siblings who were referred to King Fahd Hospital for check-ups.
The investigation launched by the Social Protection discovered that the children’s mother worked at a school for 3,000 riyals a month and did not stand up to her husband for fear of a divorce that would split up the family.
The children’s father is unemployed and receives monthly assistance from the social solidarity programme.
Social Protection officials said that they would provide temporary accommodation for the siblings before they move them to a flat while the procedures to protect them follow their course with the authorities.
The oldest daughter said that she would rather live with her mother and not with her father, accusing him of being violent with her and her brothers and sisters.
Other sisters said that they had suffered physically as well as academically from their father’s brutality, stressing that their grades at school were low.
Salah Al Ghamdi, the head of Social Protection in Jeddah, confirmed the facts and said that they would meet the father to hear his version before the case is referred to the relevant authorities.
Social authorities, doctors and activists have been pushing for years for appropriate formal action to protect children in Saudi Arabia from domestic violence and school bullying.
Their efforts recently received increased attention as the issue of child abuse came under the spotlight following repeated media reports about children subjected to horrific abuse often by members of their immediate families.
A social activist said that Saudi Arabia recorded 206 cases of violence against children. #“According to the figures, 60 per cent of the cases were abuses while 20 per cent were physical violence,” said Maha Al Muneef, the executive director of the National Family Safety Programme (NFSP). “The remaining 20 per cent were negligence and mental and psychological abuses.”
The 2012 case of a man who tortured his daughter to death sparked widespread outrage and triggered a huge debate over the extent of family privacy, a highly valued concept in conservative circles.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/family-tragedy-in-saudi-arabia-as-nine-siblings-tortured-1.1424288
Family tragedy in Saudi Arabia as nine siblings ‘tortured’
Father said to have used iron to burn children, including three-month-old baby
By Habib ToumiBureau Chief Published: 15:05 December 9, 2014
Gulf News
Manama: Nine siblings, aged between three months and 18 years, were reportedly tortured by their father over the disappearance of 100 riyals (Dh87) from their home in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
The father is said to have used a hot iron to punish his children, including his recently born daughter, by burning their legs and feet.
The case was discovered by the high school where the eldest daughter was enrolled as a student.
The school principal noticed she was walking barefoot in the school and wanted to know why.
The student said she could not put on her shoes because of the pain she was suffering from the burns inflicted by her father.
Encouraged by the principal to speak out, the daughter revealed how her father abused her and her siblings and how he had tortured them with a hot iron since Wednesday when he could not find the 100 riyals, local daily Okaz reported on Tuesday.
The torture included the three-month baby, the daughter said. The principal alerted the Social Protection care home in Jeddah, prompting its specialists to decide to provide psychological and social support for the siblings who were referred to King Fahd Hospital for check-ups.
The investigation launched by the Social Protection discovered that the children’s mother worked at a school for 3,000 riyals a month and did not stand up to her husband for fear of a divorce that would split up the family.
The children’s father is unemployed and receives monthly assistance from the social solidarity programme.
Social Protection officials said that they would provide temporary accommodation for the siblings before they move them to a flat while the procedures to protect them follow their course with the authorities.
The oldest daughter said that she would rather live with her mother and not with her father, accusing him of being violent with her and her brothers and sisters.
Other sisters said that they had suffered physically as well as academically from their father’s brutality, stressing that their grades at school were low.
Salah Al Ghamdi, the head of Social Protection in Jeddah, confirmed the facts and said that they would meet the father to hear his version before the case is referred to the relevant authorities.
Social authorities, doctors and activists have been pushing for years for appropriate formal action to protect children in Saudi Arabia from domestic violence and school bullying.
Their efforts recently received increased attention as the issue of child abuse came under the spotlight following repeated media reports about children subjected to horrific abuse often by members of their immediate families.
A social activist said that Saudi Arabia recorded 206 cases of violence against children. #“According to the figures, 60 per cent of the cases were abuses while 20 per cent were physical violence,” said Maha Al Muneef, the executive director of the National Family Safety Programme (NFSP). “The remaining 20 per cent were negligence and mental and psychological abuses.”
The 2012 case of a man who tortured his daughter to death sparked widespread outrage and triggered a huge debate over the extent of family privacy, a highly valued concept in conservative circles.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Custodial dad, step sentenced to 15 years in prison for child's torture murder; mom was refused visitation (Saudi Arabia)
Dad is identified as OMAR JABAWI.
https://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/15-years-father-wife-beating-child-death-064135007.html
15 years for father and wife for beating child to death
Saudi Gazette – 14 hours ago
The General Court has sentenced a father and his second wife each to 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes for abusing a child so much that he died, Al-Hayat reported.
A medical report showed the child died as a result of torture all over his body around two years ago.
The defendants told the court the child tripped and fell several times and tried to hang himself with a piece of cloth to imitate some cartoons he had seen on television.
They said they had to tie him up every night on the recommendation of a well-known sheikh because the child kept opening their apartment door to strangers at night.
Omar Jabawi and Rola Abu Shalhoob were arrested over two years ago in Riyadh following the medical report that put the causes of the child's death to bruises and contusions in the neck, face, chest, left shoulder, thighs, knees and left cheek.
The doctor said some of the injuries the child sustained were a few days old while some were older.
The main causes of his death were severe head traumas and contusions. Another report by the hospital proved the child sustained all these injuries because of torture.
Neighbors testified before the court that they heard the child crying many nights every night after 10 p.m.
The judge did not hand down a death sentence because there were insufficient conditions for such a verdict.
The child's biological mother, who was divorced and is Syrian, said her child moved in with his father seven months before his death and that she only saw him twice although she did not have a custody child certificate. "My ex-husband and his second wife tortured my child and didn't let me see him," she said.
Fahd Al-Rokban, who taught the child at elementary school, said Abdullah's performance deteriorated after he moved with his father.
When asked why the school failed to spot the torture marks on Abdullah's body, he said most student counselors at schools are engaged in administrative work and do not perform any counseling duties.
https://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/15-years-father-wife-beating-child-death-064135007.html
15 years for father and wife for beating child to death
Saudi Gazette – 14 hours ago
The General Court has sentenced a father and his second wife each to 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes for abusing a child so much that he died, Al-Hayat reported.
A medical report showed the child died as a result of torture all over his body around two years ago.
The defendants told the court the child tripped and fell several times and tried to hang himself with a piece of cloth to imitate some cartoons he had seen on television.
They said they had to tie him up every night on the recommendation of a well-known sheikh because the child kept opening their apartment door to strangers at night.
Omar Jabawi and Rola Abu Shalhoob were arrested over two years ago in Riyadh following the medical report that put the causes of the child's death to bruises and contusions in the neck, face, chest, left shoulder, thighs, knees and left cheek.
The doctor said some of the injuries the child sustained were a few days old while some were older.
The main causes of his death were severe head traumas and contusions. Another report by the hospital proved the child sustained all these injuries because of torture.
Neighbors testified before the court that they heard the child crying many nights every night after 10 p.m.
The judge did not hand down a death sentence because there were insufficient conditions for such a verdict.
The child's biological mother, who was divorced and is Syrian, said her child moved in with his father seven months before his death and that she only saw him twice although she did not have a custody child certificate. "My ex-husband and his second wife tortured my child and didn't let me see him," she said.
Fahd Al-Rokban, who taught the child at elementary school, said Abdullah's performance deteriorated after he moved with his father.
When asked why the school failed to spot the torture marks on Abdullah's body, he said most student counselors at schools are engaged in administrative work and do not perform any counseling duties.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Dad strips mom of custody, new step mom murders 8-year-old girl for eating biscuit without permission (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
These kinds of incidences are practically routine in Saudi Arabia, where mothers have practically zero rights. They can't even leave the country without the permission of a male guardian. Needless to say, mothers have no custody rights (beyond what men decide to give them). Therefore, any abusive husband gets full custody on demand.
And let's be frank: only abusers take the children away from a loving, fit mother. I'm sure Daddy knew exactly what the step was up to, and had no objections. The fact that the mother wasn't even informed of the girl's death till she was buried tells you everything you need to know about how the control freak mind works.
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140904217071
Little Saudi girl ‘killed by abusive stepmother after she ate biscuit without permission’
RIYADH – An eight-year-old girl who suffered from sickle-cell anemia died after her stepmother allegedly beat her to death over a piece of biscuit and abused her 11-year-old brother, Sabq.org website reported.
Ahmad, who is being treated at King Fahd Medical City Hospital, told the website that the stepmother, identified only as Kalthoum, continuously tortured him and his sister Roa.
He said: “Out aunt Kalthoum would always not let us eat. “That day, Roa and I were hungry so we went to the kitchen and had some biscuits.
“The next day, Aunt Kalthoum barged into our room and started beating us with an electric cord.”
He said the stepmother asked them to go outside in the yard under the scorching sun and walk barefoot for some minutes.
When Roa cried because of the sun heat, they were told to go inside and stand on one leg.
“Suddenly, Aunt Kalthoum grabbed the broom and bludgeoned Roa right on the head then held her hair and banged her head against the wall, causing her to lose her consciousness,” Ahmad said.
At this point of his account, Ahmad, who also suffers from sickle cell, got hysterical and had to be sedated.
Ruba, Roa’s elder sister, then continued the story. “When Roa fell unconscious, Aunt Kalthoum thought she was acting.
“She carried Roa and threw her body at the corner of the bed, where she again hit her head.
“My sister started crying with a low sound then started breathing fast.
“Aunt Kalthoum was shouting at Roa and calling her a big liar.
“Then she stopped breathing.”
When the father returned home, Ruba told him Roa died.
He rushed her to the hospital where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Doctors immediately called the police and the stepmother, who is in her 40s, was arrested and later confessed to the killing.
Roa’s biological mother, who is divorced, said: “If I knew the stepmother would kill my little girl over a piece of biscuit, I would’ve given her that piece.
“What was Roa’s fault?
“I demand that she gets the death sentence for killing my little sick daughter.”
The biological mother did not know about her daughter’s death until she was buried.
She used to have custody over her four daughters and son before her ex-husband managed to get the decision overturned.
He took his five children to live with him and his wife after their mother remarried.
And let's be frank: only abusers take the children away from a loving, fit mother. I'm sure Daddy knew exactly what the step was up to, and had no objections. The fact that the mother wasn't even informed of the girl's death till she was buried tells you everything you need to know about how the control freak mind works.
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140904217071
Little Saudi girl ‘killed by abusive stepmother after she ate biscuit without permission’
RIYADH – An eight-year-old girl who suffered from sickle-cell anemia died after her stepmother allegedly beat her to death over a piece of biscuit and abused her 11-year-old brother, Sabq.org website reported.
Ahmad, who is being treated at King Fahd Medical City Hospital, told the website that the stepmother, identified only as Kalthoum, continuously tortured him and his sister Roa.
He said: “Out aunt Kalthoum would always not let us eat. “That day, Roa and I were hungry so we went to the kitchen and had some biscuits.
“The next day, Aunt Kalthoum barged into our room and started beating us with an electric cord.”
He said the stepmother asked them to go outside in the yard under the scorching sun and walk barefoot for some minutes.
When Roa cried because of the sun heat, they were told to go inside and stand on one leg.
“Suddenly, Aunt Kalthoum grabbed the broom and bludgeoned Roa right on the head then held her hair and banged her head against the wall, causing her to lose her consciousness,” Ahmad said.
At this point of his account, Ahmad, who also suffers from sickle cell, got hysterical and had to be sedated.
Ruba, Roa’s elder sister, then continued the story. “When Roa fell unconscious, Aunt Kalthoum thought she was acting.
“She carried Roa and threw her body at the corner of the bed, where she again hit her head.
“My sister started crying with a low sound then started breathing fast.
“Aunt Kalthoum was shouting at Roa and calling her a big liar.
“Then she stopped breathing.”
When the father returned home, Ruba told him Roa died.
He rushed her to the hospital where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Doctors immediately called the police and the stepmother, who is in her 40s, was arrested and later confessed to the killing.
Roa’s biological mother, who is divorced, said: “If I knew the stepmother would kill my little girl over a piece of biscuit, I would’ve given her that piece.
“What was Roa’s fault?
“I demand that she gets the death sentence for killing my little sick daughter.”
The biological mother did not know about her daughter’s death until she was buried.
She used to have custody over her four daughters and son before her ex-husband managed to get the decision overturned.
He took his five children to live with him and his wife after their mother remarried.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Stop giving custody to abusive fathers, end child abuse (Saudi Arabia)
This isn't just a piece of child abuse per se, but the system in Saudi Arabia (and elsewhere for that matter) that favors abusive fathers in custody matters, then systematically fails to protect the children in the father's custody. Congratulations to Sabria S. Jawhar for some very brave reporting.
http://www.arabnews.com/news/533936
It’s time to act against child abuse
Sabria S. Jawhar
Published — Monday 3 March 2014 Last update 3 March 2014 4:15 am .
It’s becoming increasingly common these days to hear horror stories of fathers beating their children to death and that government ministries are apparently powerless or perhaps unwilling to wade in and address the problem. Saudi Arabia is experiencing a steady rise in reported domestic abuse cases. According to the Saudi National Society for Human Rights, 576 abuse cases were reported in 2013, a 77 percent jump from 292 cases reported in 2012.
The latest incident involves a divorced Abha father, a retired Islamic Affairs administrator who routinely abused his teenage daughters. Abuse is too soft a word. More accurately, he tortured them until his 13-year-old daughter, Reem, died. He had the habit of using chains to hang all three as if they were animals ready for slaughter.
The day Reem died, the man allegedly chained two of his daughters to the windows of the house and Reem to the door. He then left them alone. When he returned he found Reem dead.
According to Arabic newspaper reports, Abha school authorities and the Ministry of Social Affairs were aware of the abusive treatment. School officials had observed evidence of beatings. The Social Affairs Ministry’s Dar Al-Hemaiah Center received a report of the abuse. The father pulled his three daughters from school last year. When the school asked the father to return the girls to class, he refused. The bottom line is that enough people were aware of the abuse but did little to stop it.
The authorities need to decide which direction they want to take to protect the future of this country. The Ministry of Social Affairs implemented an awareness program to give victims and witnesses of spousal and child abuse a means to report crimes without fear of retribution. The Council of Ministers passed a law last August criminalyzing domestic abuse. But clearly, awareness programs and telephone hotlines are not enough, and there are no statistics available on whether the abuse hotlines are being used and resulting in prosecution of offenders. And it’s too early to determine the impact of the domestic abuse law.
Two ministries need to make the effort to stem abuse a step further. The Social Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Education are the best agencies to ensure the safety of Saudi children. Both ministries should also be held accountable for incidents like what occurred in Abha. The Education Ministry, in particular, is the perfect agency to stop abuse in its tracks since teachers and school administrators see children up to seven hours daily and know better than anyone outside the family the emotional and physical health of each child.
Mandatory reporting of abuse by school officials to law enforcement authorities is the only way to ensure a measure of safety for children.
School authorities that ignore abuse should face the music and there should be consequences for police investigators and shelter employees who also ignore evidence of violence.
We live in a society that values privacy and family security. We turn our backs from evidence of abuse by telling ourselves that it’s a family problem and it’s none of our business. Yet when families abuse the notion of privacy and security and beat their children or wives without fear of prosecution, then they should forfeit their right to have children. The community has a responsibility to step in and stop such violence.
Our male guardianship and custody laws that allow judges to give children to abusive fathers need reconsideration. The fact that often divorced mothers can only see their children during school hours and only at the school give fathers carte blanche to do as they please with their children.
Already excuses are made for the father who murdered his daughter. He was mentally ill or some such nonsense. He could be mentally ill, he hates women, or he could just be a mean, hard-hearted criminal who enjoys torturing children. Whatever the case, the signs were there that he was a dangerous abuser and his community did nothing to protect his kids.
It’s too late for Reem. Will we tell ourselves that it’s a private matter? Will we tell ourselves that it’s too late for the next child who turns up dead because we value privacy more than life? It’s not too late if we are quick to act. By putting aggressive measures in place now, we will be saving lives.
http://www.arabnews.com/news/533936
It’s time to act against child abuse
Sabria S. Jawhar
Published — Monday 3 March 2014 Last update 3 March 2014 4:15 am .
It’s becoming increasingly common these days to hear horror stories of fathers beating their children to death and that government ministries are apparently powerless or perhaps unwilling to wade in and address the problem. Saudi Arabia is experiencing a steady rise in reported domestic abuse cases. According to the Saudi National Society for Human Rights, 576 abuse cases were reported in 2013, a 77 percent jump from 292 cases reported in 2012.
The latest incident involves a divorced Abha father, a retired Islamic Affairs administrator who routinely abused his teenage daughters. Abuse is too soft a word. More accurately, he tortured them until his 13-year-old daughter, Reem, died. He had the habit of using chains to hang all three as if they were animals ready for slaughter.
The day Reem died, the man allegedly chained two of his daughters to the windows of the house and Reem to the door. He then left them alone. When he returned he found Reem dead.
According to Arabic newspaper reports, Abha school authorities and the Ministry of Social Affairs were aware of the abusive treatment. School officials had observed evidence of beatings. The Social Affairs Ministry’s Dar Al-Hemaiah Center received a report of the abuse. The father pulled his three daughters from school last year. When the school asked the father to return the girls to class, he refused. The bottom line is that enough people were aware of the abuse but did little to stop it.
The authorities need to decide which direction they want to take to protect the future of this country. The Ministry of Social Affairs implemented an awareness program to give victims and witnesses of spousal and child abuse a means to report crimes without fear of retribution. The Council of Ministers passed a law last August criminalyzing domestic abuse. But clearly, awareness programs and telephone hotlines are not enough, and there are no statistics available on whether the abuse hotlines are being used and resulting in prosecution of offenders. And it’s too early to determine the impact of the domestic abuse law.
Two ministries need to make the effort to stem abuse a step further. The Social Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Education are the best agencies to ensure the safety of Saudi children. Both ministries should also be held accountable for incidents like what occurred in Abha. The Education Ministry, in particular, is the perfect agency to stop abuse in its tracks since teachers and school administrators see children up to seven hours daily and know better than anyone outside the family the emotional and physical health of each child.
Mandatory reporting of abuse by school officials to law enforcement authorities is the only way to ensure a measure of safety for children.
School authorities that ignore abuse should face the music and there should be consequences for police investigators and shelter employees who also ignore evidence of violence.
We live in a society that values privacy and family security. We turn our backs from evidence of abuse by telling ourselves that it’s a family problem and it’s none of our business. Yet when families abuse the notion of privacy and security and beat their children or wives without fear of prosecution, then they should forfeit their right to have children. The community has a responsibility to step in and stop such violence.
Our male guardianship and custody laws that allow judges to give children to abusive fathers need reconsideration. The fact that often divorced mothers can only see their children during school hours and only at the school give fathers carte blanche to do as they please with their children.
Already excuses are made for the father who murdered his daughter. He was mentally ill or some such nonsense. He could be mentally ill, he hates women, or he could just be a mean, hard-hearted criminal who enjoys torturing children. Whatever the case, the signs were there that he was a dangerous abuser and his community did nothing to protect his kids.
It’s too late for Reem. Will we tell ourselves that it’s a private matter? Will we tell ourselves that it’s too late for the next child who turns up dead because we value privacy more than life? It’s not too late if we are quick to act. By putting aggressive measures in place now, we will be saving lives.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Custodial dad admits killing 3-year-old daughter, torturing her sisters (Abha, Saudi Arabia)
UNNAMED DAD had custody and deprived the mother of visitation. Notice that there are no assurances that the mother will get custody now.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140302197306
Abha father admits to torturing girl to death
Saudi Gazette report
ABHA — A Saudi citizen has admitted to killing his daughter and torturing his other daughters by chaining them to windows and doors, Al-Watan daily reported.
The man, who was separated from his wife, was raising his three daughters without any supervision and deprived their mother of visitation rights.
He chained his two daughters to windows in the house while his three-year-old daughter Reem was chained to a door. When he returned home one day, he found Reem dead and took her to the hospital where staff notified police. He initially told police that she died on a swing when the ropes wrapped around her neck, choking her to death, but later admitted to killing her.
A source at the school where the three sisters were studying said Reem and her sisters stopped coming to school just before final exams last year.
"The father was contacted to allow his daughters to return to school, but he replied that his daughters did not benefit from their studies," she said while adding that the educational department was notified, but before they could act, the news of Reem's death reached the school.
Spokesman for Asir Police Lt. Col. Abdullah Shathan confirmed police have referred the case to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIP).
Sources said when the father was being transported to the BIP office, he asked to be taken directly to court and said, "I killed Reem."
A source at a Asir child protection home said they had received a report that the three sisters were being tortured, but it was ambiguous.
"The report stated that the sisters were living in Khamis Mushayt while in fact they were living in Abha, and when officials called the telephone number mentioned in the report there was no reply," the source said while adding that the two sisters have been admitted to the home according to the instructions of the emir of Asir. They are being provided with the necessary care.
"Their mother has visited the two sisters after years of deprivation and they are in good health and will remain at the home until a suitable and safe environment is provided to them," the source added.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140302197306
Abha father admits to torturing girl to death
Saudi Gazette report
ABHA — A Saudi citizen has admitted to killing his daughter and torturing his other daughters by chaining them to windows and doors, Al-Watan daily reported.
The man, who was separated from his wife, was raising his three daughters without any supervision and deprived their mother of visitation rights.
He chained his two daughters to windows in the house while his three-year-old daughter Reem was chained to a door. When he returned home one day, he found Reem dead and took her to the hospital where staff notified police. He initially told police that she died on a swing when the ropes wrapped around her neck, choking her to death, but later admitted to killing her.
A source at the school where the three sisters were studying said Reem and her sisters stopped coming to school just before final exams last year.
"The father was contacted to allow his daughters to return to school, but he replied that his daughters did not benefit from their studies," she said while adding that the educational department was notified, but before they could act, the news of Reem's death reached the school.
Spokesman for Asir Police Lt. Col. Abdullah Shathan confirmed police have referred the case to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIP).
Sources said when the father was being transported to the BIP office, he asked to be taken directly to court and said, "I killed Reem."
A source at a Asir child protection home said they had received a report that the three sisters were being tortured, but it was ambiguous.
"The report stated that the sisters were living in Khamis Mushayt while in fact they were living in Abha, and when officials called the telephone number mentioned in the report there was no reply," the source said while adding that the two sisters have been admitted to the home according to the instructions of the emir of Asir. They are being provided with the necessary care.
"Their mother has visited the two sisters after years of deprivation and they are in good health and will remain at the home until a suitable and safe environment is provided to them," the source added.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Dad blames fatal injuries of 18-month-old son on bike riding fall (Abha, Saudi Arabia)
I wonder how you say "dumbass" in Arabic. UNNAMED DAD would have us believe that an 18-month-old boy died from burns on his chest, bites on his chest, crushed lungs, and severe head trauma--all from a fall suffered while the boy (scarcely a baby, really) was riding a bike. REALLY DUDE?
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20131216189633
Doctors reject Asir father’s claim on son’s fatal injuries
Last updated: Monday, December 16, 2013 12:08 AM
Abdullah Al-Yahya Okaz/Saudi Gazette
ABHA — Doctors who treated an infant who died at Asir Central Hospital on Tuesday has rejected his father’s justifications for the injuries that caused his death.
Ameen, who was barely 18 months old, was brought to the hospital with severe signs of abuse. He died in the early hours of Tuesday and the body was taken to the morgue until the completion of investigations.
A source told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that when the infant was brought to the hospital his heart had already stopped.
His pulse returned after doctors tried resuscitating him for 45 minutes. However, he remained in a coma for two days until he died.
The source attributed the infant’s death to severe head trauma. There were several burn marks on his chest, bites on the abdomen and the lungs were crushed.
The source said the infant’s father, who has four wives and 25 children, claimed Ameen sustained these injuries after falling from a bicycle he was riding.
Responding to suggestions he was responsible for his son’s death, the father said he was shocked over what happened to the infant and that he could never harm him in this way.
Doctors said the child was too young to ride a bicycle and could not have sustained such injuries from riding one.
Psychiatrist and member of the Domestic Violence Committee in Asir Central Hospital, Dr. Sultan Al-Thowban, said the infant was subjected to first-degree violence.
He said the hospital informed the Family Protection Committee of the case.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Human Rights Commission’s (HRC) Asir branch Dr. Hadi Al-Yami said his organization and other authorities are monitoring the investigation.
He said the commission prepared a detailed report on the violence Ameen was subjected to.
Spokesman for Asir Police Lt. Col. Abdullah Al-Shaathan confirmed police received a report on the arrival of a male infant who eventually died from his severe injuries at the hospital.
Investigations are still ongoing, he said.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20131216189633
Doctors reject Asir father’s claim on son’s fatal injuries
Last updated: Monday, December 16, 2013 12:08 AM
Abdullah Al-Yahya Okaz/Saudi Gazette
ABHA — Doctors who treated an infant who died at Asir Central Hospital on Tuesday has rejected his father’s justifications for the injuries that caused his death.
Ameen, who was barely 18 months old, was brought to the hospital with severe signs of abuse. He died in the early hours of Tuesday and the body was taken to the morgue until the completion of investigations.
A source told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that when the infant was brought to the hospital his heart had already stopped.
His pulse returned after doctors tried resuscitating him for 45 minutes. However, he remained in a coma for two days until he died.
The source attributed the infant’s death to severe head trauma. There were several burn marks on his chest, bites on the abdomen and the lungs were crushed.
The source said the infant’s father, who has four wives and 25 children, claimed Ameen sustained these injuries after falling from a bicycle he was riding.
Responding to suggestions he was responsible for his son’s death, the father said he was shocked over what happened to the infant and that he could never harm him in this way.
Doctors said the child was too young to ride a bicycle and could not have sustained such injuries from riding one.
Psychiatrist and member of the Domestic Violence Committee in Asir Central Hospital, Dr. Sultan Al-Thowban, said the infant was subjected to first-degree violence.
He said the hospital informed the Family Protection Committee of the case.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Human Rights Commission’s (HRC) Asir branch Dr. Hadi Al-Yami said his organization and other authorities are monitoring the investigation.
He said the commission prepared a detailed report on the violence Ameen was subjected to.
Spokesman for Asir Police Lt. Col. Abdullah Al-Shaathan confirmed police received a report on the arrival of a male infant who eventually died from his severe injuries at the hospital.
Investigations are still ongoing, he said.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Custodial dad gets 8 years in prison for rape, torture-murder of 5-year-old daughter (Hawta, Saudi Arabia)
More killer daddy coddling. Dad is identified as FAYHAN AL-GHAMDI. Earlier accounts of this crime made it clear that Daddy had custody, though it's not mentioned here.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2449709/Fayhan-al-Ghamdi-jailed-years-torturing-daughter-Lama-death.html
Saudi Arabian preacher who beat his five-year-old daughter to death is jailed for just eight years and sentenced to 600 lashes
Lama al-Ghamdi's back was broken and she had been raped and burned
She died in October 2012 from her injuries after ten months in hospital
Her father Fayhan, a prominent Islamist preacher, admitted beating her but was originally freed after agreeing to pay £31,000 compensation
A campaign succeeded in bringing about a stiffer sentence
By TED THORNHILL PUBLISHED: 09:55 EST, 8 October 2013 | UPDATED: 14:47 EST, 8 October 2013
A Saudi Islamic preacher accused of torturing his five-year-old daughter to death has been sentenced to just eight years in jail and 600 lashes.
Lama al-Ghamdi died in October 2012 having suffered multiple injuries. Her skull was crushed, a finger nail had been pulled off, her ribs and arm broken and she suffered extensive bruising and burns. There were also reports that she’d been repeatedly raped, though this was denied by her mother.
The case sent shockwaves around the world earlier this year and there was further outrage when it appeared that her father, Fayhan al-Ghamdi, would be released by a Saudi court after just a few months in prison.
The mother, Syeda Mohammed Ali, told CNN in February: 'My dear child is dead, and all I want now is justice so I can close my eyes and know she didn't die in vain. She was brutally tortured in the most shocking ways.'
A campaign began to force the court, in the town of Hawta, to stiffen the sentence.
The same court and judge july re-examined the case, but there is anger once more that the punishment for Al-Ghamdi, a prominent Islamist preacher who regularly appears on television in Saudi Arabia, is too lenient.
Earlier this year activists from the group Women to Drive said the preacher had doubted Lama's virginity and had her checked up by a medic. Saudi preacher Fayhan Ghamd was given a £31,000 fine despite admitting using a cable and a cane to beat his daughter
Randa al-Kaleeb, a social worker from the hospital where Lama was admitted, said the girl's back was broken and that she had been repeatedly raped.
Her injuries were then burned.
Rather than the death penalty or a long prison sentence, the judge in the case ruled the prosecution could only seek 'blood money', according to activists.
The money is compensation for the next of kin under Islamic law.
Activists said the judge ruled the few months al-Ghamdi spent in prison since his arrest in November 2012 was sufficient punishment.
He has reportedly agreed to pay £31,000 ($50,000), which is believed to have gone to Lama's mother.
The amount is half that would have been paid if Lama had been a boy.
A social media campaign quickly gained momentum after the ruling was publicised.
Manal al-Sharif launched a campaign on Twitter using the hashtag 'Ana Lama', which means ‘I am Lama’, calling for better protection for children and women.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2449709/Fayhan-al-Ghamdi-jailed-years-torturing-daughter-Lama-death.html
Saudi Arabian preacher who beat his five-year-old daughter to death is jailed for just eight years and sentenced to 600 lashes
Lama al-Ghamdi's back was broken and she had been raped and burned
She died in October 2012 from her injuries after ten months in hospital
Her father Fayhan, a prominent Islamist preacher, admitted beating her but was originally freed after agreeing to pay £31,000 compensation
A campaign succeeded in bringing about a stiffer sentence
By TED THORNHILL PUBLISHED: 09:55 EST, 8 October 2013 | UPDATED: 14:47 EST, 8 October 2013
A Saudi Islamic preacher accused of torturing his five-year-old daughter to death has been sentenced to just eight years in jail and 600 lashes.
Lama al-Ghamdi died in October 2012 having suffered multiple injuries. Her skull was crushed, a finger nail had been pulled off, her ribs and arm broken and she suffered extensive bruising and burns. There were also reports that she’d been repeatedly raped, though this was denied by her mother.
The case sent shockwaves around the world earlier this year and there was further outrage when it appeared that her father, Fayhan al-Ghamdi, would be released by a Saudi court after just a few months in prison.
The mother, Syeda Mohammed Ali, told CNN in February: 'My dear child is dead, and all I want now is justice so I can close my eyes and know she didn't die in vain. She was brutally tortured in the most shocking ways.'
A campaign began to force the court, in the town of Hawta, to stiffen the sentence.
The same court and judge july re-examined the case, but there is anger once more that the punishment for Al-Ghamdi, a prominent Islamist preacher who regularly appears on television in Saudi Arabia, is too lenient.
Earlier this year activists from the group Women to Drive said the preacher had doubted Lama's virginity and had her checked up by a medic. Saudi preacher Fayhan Ghamd was given a £31,000 fine despite admitting using a cable and a cane to beat his daughter
Randa al-Kaleeb, a social worker from the hospital where Lama was admitted, said the girl's back was broken and that she had been repeatedly raped.
Her injuries were then burned.
Rather than the death penalty or a long prison sentence, the judge in the case ruled the prosecution could only seek 'blood money', according to activists.
The money is compensation for the next of kin under Islamic law.
Activists said the judge ruled the few months al-Ghamdi spent in prison since his arrest in November 2012 was sufficient punishment.
He has reportedly agreed to pay £31,000 ($50,000), which is believed to have gone to Lama's mother.
The amount is half that would have been paid if Lama had been a boy.
A social media campaign quickly gained momentum after the ruling was publicised.
Manal al-Sharif launched a campaign on Twitter using the hashtag 'Ana Lama', which means ‘I am Lama’, calling for better protection for children and women.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Dad in "strenuous custody battle" arrested for murder of 2- and 4-year-old daughters (Israel)
Once again, we see that for violent fathers, a "custody battle" is not about quality time with the kids. It's about abuse and control. It's about maintaining iron-fisted power over your wife and kids--and if their deaths are deemed necessary or desirable to maintain that control, that' s perfectly okay to these sh**s. Killing the kids is also a very useful tool for hurting Mom in the worse possible way, and these killer dads know that too.
And once again, we see how the protective mother's concerns were ignored by the police and those in authority until it was too late.
The killer dad is identified as ALI AMTIRAT.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4401954,00.html
Father suspected of killing daughters arrested
Over a month after Asinad, 4, Rimas, 2, were murdered, their father was apprehended last week on roof of old structure near Dead Sea
Ilana Curiel
Published: 07.07.13, 19:29 / Israel News
Ali Amtirat, 40, suspected of murdering his daughters, 4-year-old Asinad and 2-year-old Rimas, was arrested last week, more than a month after the murders, it was cleared for publication Sunday.
Following the murder, which took place in May, an officer and the commander of the Arad police were dismissed, after police neglected to look into a complaint filed by the girls' mother a day before the murders.
The father was found in the Dead Sea area, on the roof of an old structure, underfed and wearing the same clothes he had on the day of the murder. Last week, the Beersheba Magistrates Court remanded the father by an additional 10 days.
Ever since the girls' bodies were found in late May at the Bedouin village of Al Furah, near the southern city of Arad, Negev police have tried to trace the father.
Police were concerned that the suspect would flee the country, as he has family in Saudi Arabia, or try to hurt the mother of his daughters, promting them to take her to a safe house shelter.
According to South District Police Chief, Major General Yoram Halevy, before he was caught, the father had been hiding in creeks, tunnels and various hideouts across the Negev. Before managing to detain him, police had apparently closed in on his whereabouts twice, but failed to nab him before he fled.
Halevy said that Amtirat's arrest had ended "a nerve wracking and complex hunt." He described the suspect as "extremely dangerous, taking all precaution and hiding in open areas, caves and creeks."
"The suspect's arrest is not the end of the story," Halevy added, saying that only when the father confesses to the crime will the police chief be able "to look the girls' mother in the eye and tell her we did everything we could so that the monster who executed this horrendous murder goes behind bars for a very long time."
Police also arrested the suspect's brothers, two of whom were indicted for kidnapping the victims. Nonetheless police added they have yet to find all those suspected of assisting the suspect.
According to preliminary investigation, the girls were murdered as a result of a strenuous custody battle.
After the father was arrested, the mother, Abir Dandis, told Ynet: "I just happened to call the police that day and ask about him. I was very to surprised to hear he was arrested."
Despite the negligence with which the mother's complaints were handled by police, she expressed her gratitude to the police "for a job well done in getting him arrested."
She nonetheless added that she was afraid that his family members might still try to harm her. "I'm sure they're not happy to see him arrested," she said. "I don’t know how long I will live in fear.
"I would like very much to see the killer and ask him why he murdered his girls and how he could have done such a thing. I'm sure he would be dismissive, as if he had done nothing, but hopefully he will regret what he he's done," Dandis noted.
"Such a criminal should be jailed for life," she said, rhetorically wondering: "Isn’t he ashamed of himself? He doesn’t deserve to be a father. I'll remain grief-stricken for the rest of my life after losing my two girls."
Defense attorney Tomer Orinov said: "My client denies the allegations. He insists that people who have clashed with his wife in the past are behind the murders. She had been incarcerated in the Palestinian Authority in the past and those who put her in jail are the ones behind his daughters' murders."
When asked why the father had fled if he were innocent, the attorney said the suspect was grieving: "They have a 40 day mourning period; he secluded himself from society." Hassan Shaalan contributed to this report
And once again, we see how the protective mother's concerns were ignored by the police and those in authority until it was too late.
The killer dad is identified as ALI AMTIRAT.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4401954,00.html
Father suspected of killing daughters arrested
Over a month after Asinad, 4, Rimas, 2, were murdered, their father was apprehended last week on roof of old structure near Dead Sea
Ilana Curiel
Published: 07.07.13, 19:29 / Israel News
Ali Amtirat, 40, suspected of murdering his daughters, 4-year-old Asinad and 2-year-old Rimas, was arrested last week, more than a month after the murders, it was cleared for publication Sunday.
Following the murder, which took place in May, an officer and the commander of the Arad police were dismissed, after police neglected to look into a complaint filed by the girls' mother a day before the murders.
The father was found in the Dead Sea area, on the roof of an old structure, underfed and wearing the same clothes he had on the day of the murder. Last week, the Beersheba Magistrates Court remanded the father by an additional 10 days.
Ever since the girls' bodies were found in late May at the Bedouin village of Al Furah, near the southern city of Arad, Negev police have tried to trace the father.
Police were concerned that the suspect would flee the country, as he has family in Saudi Arabia, or try to hurt the mother of his daughters, promting them to take her to a safe house shelter.
According to South District Police Chief, Major General Yoram Halevy, before he was caught, the father had been hiding in creeks, tunnels and various hideouts across the Negev. Before managing to detain him, police had apparently closed in on his whereabouts twice, but failed to nab him before he fled.
Halevy said that Amtirat's arrest had ended "a nerve wracking and complex hunt." He described the suspect as "extremely dangerous, taking all precaution and hiding in open areas, caves and creeks."
"The suspect's arrest is not the end of the story," Halevy added, saying that only when the father confesses to the crime will the police chief be able "to look the girls' mother in the eye and tell her we did everything we could so that the monster who executed this horrendous murder goes behind bars for a very long time."
Police also arrested the suspect's brothers, two of whom were indicted for kidnapping the victims. Nonetheless police added they have yet to find all those suspected of assisting the suspect.
According to preliminary investigation, the girls were murdered as a result of a strenuous custody battle.
After the father was arrested, the mother, Abir Dandis, told Ynet: "I just happened to call the police that day and ask about him. I was very to surprised to hear he was arrested."
Despite the negligence with which the mother's complaints were handled by police, she expressed her gratitude to the police "for a job well done in getting him arrested."
She nonetheless added that she was afraid that his family members might still try to harm her. "I'm sure they're not happy to see him arrested," she said. "I don’t know how long I will live in fear.
"I would like very much to see the killer and ask him why he murdered his girls and how he could have done such a thing. I'm sure he would be dismissive, as if he had done nothing, but hopefully he will regret what he he's done," Dandis noted.
"Such a criminal should be jailed for life," she said, rhetorically wondering: "Isn’t he ashamed of himself? He doesn’t deserve to be a father. I'll remain grief-stricken for the rest of my life after losing my two girls."
Defense attorney Tomer Orinov said: "My client denies the allegations. He insists that people who have clashed with his wife in the past are behind the murders. She had been incarcerated in the Palestinian Authority in the past and those who put her in jail are the ones behind his daughters' murders."
When asked why the father had fled if he were innocent, the attorney said the suspect was grieving: "They have a 40 day mourning period; he secluded himself from society." Hassan Shaalan contributed to this report
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Dad arrested for torturing, killing 10-year-old son (Manama, Saudi Arabia)
The biggest problems needing confronting are NOT "family privacy and secrecy" per se. This is simply code to disguise the fact that Saudi Arabia is a country where abusive fathers have all the rights, and mothers have virtually none. That's why you have this kind of horrific child abuse, which often goes along with violence against the mother.
UNNAMED DAD
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-father-arrested-for-torturing-son-to-death-1.1191913
Saudi father arrested for torturing son to death
Suspect dumped son’s body in desert, claimed he was missing
By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief Published: 11:37 June 3, 2013 .
Manama: A father in Saudi Arabia who reportedly tortured his 10-year-old son to death and dumped his body in the desert has confessed his crime.
According to Saudi news site Sabq, the father, 37, turned violent against his son, chained him with a metal chain and tortured him until he died.
Shocked by the tragic turn of events, he took the lifeless body and dumped it in the desert. He then contacted the police and the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the religious police, to inform them that his son was missing, Sabq reported on Monday.
However, the mother, a non-Saudi Arab, told the police that she suspected the father was behind her son’s disappearance, explaining that he had tortured him.
During his interrogation, the father, a health employee in the Tabuk area, confessed to killing his son and on Sunday showed the police where he had dumped the body.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia have been pushing for an integrated approach to protect children from domestic mental and physical violence and from school bullying.
According to Maha Al Muneef, executive director of the National Family Safety Programme (NFSP), Saudi Arabia had 206 reported cases of violence against children in 2012.
She said that 60 per cent of the cases were abuse while 20 per cent were physical violence.
“The remaining 20 per cent were negligence and mental and psychological abuse,” the activist said in mid-March.
Maha said that physical violence cases were “easiest to report” while sexual violence was “the most difficult to discover”.
“However, psychological violence is the least reported despite the high prevalence of the cases,” she added.
“We now have an updated database about the cases and statistics are issued every year. The information contributes to drawing up relevant strategies to protect children in the kingdom,” she said.
Efforts to protect young boys and girls have recently received special attention following a series of media reports about children subjected to horrific abuse often by members of their immediate families.
The cases earlier this year of a man who tortured his five-year-old daughter to death and of another father who repeatedly poured scalding hot water and tea on his nine-year-old boy had sparked widespread outrage in the country.
However, activists have insisted that people needed to move beyond mere outrage, anger and condemnation to tackle domestic tragedies.
Strong traditions related to a prevailing deep sense of family privacy and secrecy have often hampered efforts to assist children in need.
UNNAMED DAD
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-father-arrested-for-torturing-son-to-death-1.1191913
Saudi father arrested for torturing son to death
Suspect dumped son’s body in desert, claimed he was missing
By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief Published: 11:37 June 3, 2013 .
Manama: A father in Saudi Arabia who reportedly tortured his 10-year-old son to death and dumped his body in the desert has confessed his crime.
According to Saudi news site Sabq, the father, 37, turned violent against his son, chained him with a metal chain and tortured him until he died.
Shocked by the tragic turn of events, he took the lifeless body and dumped it in the desert. He then contacted the police and the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the religious police, to inform them that his son was missing, Sabq reported on Monday.
However, the mother, a non-Saudi Arab, told the police that she suspected the father was behind her son’s disappearance, explaining that he had tortured him.
During his interrogation, the father, a health employee in the Tabuk area, confessed to killing his son and on Sunday showed the police where he had dumped the body.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia have been pushing for an integrated approach to protect children from domestic mental and physical violence and from school bullying.
According to Maha Al Muneef, executive director of the National Family Safety Programme (NFSP), Saudi Arabia had 206 reported cases of violence against children in 2012.
She said that 60 per cent of the cases were abuse while 20 per cent were physical violence.
“The remaining 20 per cent were negligence and mental and psychological abuse,” the activist said in mid-March.
Maha said that physical violence cases were “easiest to report” while sexual violence was “the most difficult to discover”.
“However, psychological violence is the least reported despite the high prevalence of the cases,” she added.
“We now have an updated database about the cases and statistics are issued every year. The information contributes to drawing up relevant strategies to protect children in the kingdom,” she said.
Efforts to protect young boys and girls have recently received special attention following a series of media reports about children subjected to horrific abuse often by members of their immediate families.
The cases earlier this year of a man who tortured his five-year-old daughter to death and of another father who repeatedly poured scalding hot water and tea on his nine-year-old boy had sparked widespread outrage in the country.
However, activists have insisted that people needed to move beyond mere outrage, anger and condemnation to tackle domestic tragedies.
Strong traditions related to a prevailing deep sense of family privacy and secrecy have often hampered efforts to assist children in need.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
"Mental" dad chains 1-year-old daughter (Saudi Arabia)
UNNAMED DAD. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://www.emirates247.com/crime/region/mental-dad-chains-1-year-old-daughter-2013-04-28-1.504261
'Mental' dad chains 1-year-old daughter
Saudi man discovered to be ‘mentally ill’
By Staff Published Sunday, April 28, 2013
A Saudi father tied up his one-year-old daughter with chains and took her to the Red Crescent hospital in the Gulf Kingdom for treatment, saying she has psychological problems. But the shocked staff discovered that the one who is ill is the father.
Medical staff were caught off guard when the Saudi man walked into their centre in the central town of Makkah at dawn on Saturday and handed them the chained baby.
When they asked him why he had tied her up, he told them that he believes she is suffering from psychological problems.
“Doctors there decided to hand the girl to the obstetrics hospital after they discovered that the father is mentally ill,” Sabq Arabic language newspaper said, adding that police were informed about the incident.
http://www.emirates247.com/crime/region/mental-dad-chains-1-year-old-daughter-2013-04-28-1.504261
'Mental' dad chains 1-year-old daughter
Saudi man discovered to be ‘mentally ill’
By Staff Published Sunday, April 28, 2013
A Saudi father tied up his one-year-old daughter with chains and took her to the Red Crescent hospital in the Gulf Kingdom for treatment, saying she has psychological problems. But the shocked staff discovered that the one who is ill is the father.
Medical staff were caught off guard when the Saudi man walked into their centre in the central town of Makkah at dawn on Saturday and handed them the chained baby.
When they asked him why he had tied her up, he told them that he believes she is suffering from psychological problems.
“Doctors there decided to hand the girl to the obstetrics hospital after they discovered that the father is mentally ill,” Sabq Arabic language newspaper said, adding that police were informed about the incident.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Custodial dad gets 3 months in jail for torturing 9-year-old son (Madinah, Saudi Arabia)
This is what happens when the custodial rights of fathers are guaranteed under law, and mothers are treated as nothing. Take heed, because this is what the allies of these folks are advocating for the west--custodial daddies that can torture and/or kill kids with virtual impunity.
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130409160591
Three-month jail for Adel’s father
Sentence too lenient, say mother and uncle
Last updated: Tuesday, April 09, 2013 1:35 PM
Ayman Al-Saydalani Okaz/Saudi Gazette
MADINAH — The District Court here has sentenced Adel’s father, a Yemeni research scholar at Madinah’s Islamic University who tortured his nine-year-old son and was arrested last month, to three months in jail.
Adel’s mother and uncle expressed their dissatisfaction with the verdict calling it too lenient.
Adel’s maternal uncle told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the father used various means of torture against his son, Adel. The court should have handed down a stricter prison sentence against the father for what he did to his son.
The uncle said this case cost him a lot of money and he had to sell his business in the United States so that he could come to the Kingdom and follow up with the case. “The case cost me $40,000. I can’t understand how a father could torture his son.”
Sultan Al-Zahim, a lawyer, said the family of the battered child can apply to the Court of Appeals and demand a stricter sentence. Their demand should be supported by a medical report showing that the injuries inflicted by the father on his son were severe and could have killed Adel.
“If they prove that the father had the intention to kill his son, the father could spend years in prison and lose child custody.”
Adel’s mother can apply to the court for custody of her child and request the court to not allow the father to visit his son because it is clear that the father is dangerous to the son,” Al-Zahim said.
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130409160591
Three-month jail for Adel’s father
Sentence too lenient, say mother and uncle
Last updated: Tuesday, April 09, 2013 1:35 PM
Ayman Al-Saydalani Okaz/Saudi Gazette
MADINAH — The District Court here has sentenced Adel’s father, a Yemeni research scholar at Madinah’s Islamic University who tortured his nine-year-old son and was arrested last month, to three months in jail.
Adel’s mother and uncle expressed their dissatisfaction with the verdict calling it too lenient.
Adel’s maternal uncle told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the father used various means of torture against his son, Adel. The court should have handed down a stricter prison sentence against the father for what he did to his son.
The uncle said this case cost him a lot of money and he had to sell his business in the United States so that he could come to the Kingdom and follow up with the case. “The case cost me $40,000. I can’t understand how a father could torture his son.”
Sultan Al-Zahim, a lawyer, said the family of the battered child can apply to the Court of Appeals and demand a stricter sentence. Their demand should be supported by a medical report showing that the injuries inflicted by the father on his son were severe and could have killed Adel.
“If they prove that the father had the intention to kill his son, the father could spend years in prison and lose child custody.”
Adel’s mother can apply to the court for custody of her child and request the court to not allow the father to visit his son because it is clear that the father is dangerous to the son,” Al-Zahim said.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Nation shocked by severe child abuse, but unable to name the perpetrators (Saudi Arabia)
Once again, we see a complete inability to name the problem or the perpetrators. The problem is not abusive "parents." The problem is MALE VIOLENCE, specifically abusive fathers who are totally empowered by a social system that privileges fathers rights over the rights of anyone else. Every example cited in this article shows this, but no one will admit it.
I for one am sick of patriarchal religious pukes of all stripes who try to justify their abuse of children or try to minimize that violence. That's another big piece of the problem.
In the case of the girl who was tortured to death by Daddy Dearest, it is quite clear that we had a father with a history of domestic violence and drug abuse, yet he was still allowed contact with his daughter. In fact, he was SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE CUSTODY when the girl turned seven in accordance with Sharia law. This is the same piece of crap who doubted the virginity of a 5-year-old girl. The same piece of crap who RAPED HER.
Are we surprised that this piece of crap refused to return the child to her mother, and tried to destroy their bond as well? No, this is typical of abusers as well.
But you can't deal with the crap until you start telling the truth....
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudis-appalled-by-child-abuse-cases-1.1143591
Saudis appalled by child abuse cases
Victims as much in focus as the social mores their tormentors take advantage of
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Published: 15:32 February 8, 2013
Manama: The recent media reports about two children who were subjected to heart-rending abuse at the hands of their parents have evoked outrage, anger and condemnation among Saudi citizens even as the realisation grows that such reports point to deeper social issues.
The nation was still reeling from the reports that a man who tortured his five-year-old daughter to death had apparently escaped with a light sentence when the local media reported that a nine-year-old boy was being treated at a hospital for injuries inflicted by his father, who repeatedly poured scalding hot water and tea on him.
“That was really too much for us,” Rayyan Abdul Aziz, a real estate agent in the Eastern Province, said. “We are sickened by these reports that alarm us about the depths to which some parents have stooped. People today want concerted and long-ranging efforts by all segments of the society to put an end to a phenomenon that grew out of unacceptable societal norms and values held by some people who have little or no regard for the wellbeing of children despite the clear teachings in Islam to protect them,” he said.
The recent cases have focused attention on parents as perpetrators of domestic abuse, especially when they are virtually certain that they will not have to face the consequences of their actions. Article continues below
In the death-by-torture case, the father had passed himself off as a preacher to give lectures on a private television channel about ethical and moral behaviour. He, however, didn’t have any qualms about torturing his own daughter, Luma, “to discipline her” after the girl’s unsuspecting mother, who was divorced from him, took her over to visit him at a residence where he was living with his new wife.
Luma lived with her divorced mother, but she was allowed to visit her father even though he reportedly did not seem to care about her.
According to Luma’s mother, her former husband had a history with drugs but seemed to have reformed himself before marriage. However, his violent streak surfaced following their marriage and he would often beat her, she said. Unwilling to continue her life with him, she filed for divorce and a court in the eastern city of Dammam ruled in her favour. The judge told her that she would have the custody of their daughter until she turned seven.
She said that, following the divorce, her ex-husband took a new wife and saw Luma only on four occasions.
“The last time was when I took her to visit him after he lapsed into a long silence even though Luma was keen on seeing him,” she said. “The agreement was she would spend two weeks with him, but he refused to let her come home to me. The last words I heard from her were ‘I love you mum and I always pray for you.’ Her father often said that he would make her forget all about me,” the mother said.
She was later informed by police in Riyadh that her daughter was in hospital, where she was being treated for severe burns and bruises and that her condition was critical.
“I could not recognise my own daughter when I saw her in hospital. It was such a terrible shock to see her frail body in this tragic state. She remained paralysed for eight months before she passed away,” she said.
Reports said that the father used wires and an iron rod to punish his daughter and that he had doubts about her virginity.
But Suhaila Zain Al Abideen, a Saudi human rights activist, said no religious or social dimension could explain the father’s behaviour with his daughter. “Let us look at all the theories,” she said. “If the father went by the weak saying that parents could hit their children, it never meant breaking skulls, ribs and a hand. It did not mean using fire to burn a child,” she said, quoted by local news site Sabq.
A father cannot logically have the slightest doubts about his child’s sexual attitudes, she said. “She is a child and what does a five-year-old child know about sexual relations? This is totally illogical. Even if she had been raped, she is the victim and does not understand anything about these things,” she said.
“The punishment, if all the evidence is incriminating, is to give her 100 lashes, and not to break her skull or to torture her,” she said, insisting that the father had no justification for his actions on social, legal or religious grounds and had to be severely punished for killing his daughter by torturing her.
According to the activist, the “tragedy is that the father claims to be a religious preacher”.
“This is a disaster. Islam does not condone violence. Unfortunately, the father knew that he would not be punished severely because, if retribution had awaited him, he would have never tortured his daughter. A preacher is supposed to be a genuine guide in words and deeds,” she said.
In the second child abuse case to make the news in the country recently, a boy repeatedly burnt by his father spoke out about what he endured after his grandfather helped move him to a care centre from his father’s home.
The boy’s father had poured hot water and tea on his son on numerous occasions and also stubbed out cigarettes on his frail body.
The mother chose to remain silent to the abuse but the paternal grandfather reported the matter and the boy, Rakan, was eventually rescued from the his own parents.
The grandfather alerted the Protection Home in Jeddah which took the young boy in.
According to the grandfather, the father did not even have formal identity papers issued in his son’s name. The boy thus never went to school.
Rakan, currently receiving treatment at King Fahd General Hospital in Jeddah, refused to return to his parents, saying that both his father and mother repeatedly punished him with hot water and fire.
“My father poured hot water or hot tea and burned me with fire. He also beat me every day even when I did nothing wrong. Whenever I suffered from the scalding hot liquids or terrible burns, nobody rushed to help me or to treat me,” he recalled.
With the number of abuse victims on the rise, activists and compassionate people face formidable challenges owing to the conservative nature of Saudi society and the privacy reserved for family matters.
Getting information on domestic abuse often proves elusive and even professionals come up against massive challenges addressing such cases.
Last year, Princess Adila Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who patronises many charitable foundations and who has often spoken out against domestic violence, said that strategists and policymakers would need more information, research and studies to help young victims of abuse.
“These are the scientific factors that provide the sound knowledge necessary to lay plans, strategies and programmes that address the lack of care and accomplish the achievements that support children,” she told local Arabic daily Al Riyadh.
Najla, a private school teacher, said that the reasons often given by people to explain negative attitudes by parents included “social exclusion, lack of social skills and addiction to drugs”.
“These have seemingly combined with a culture of passive behaviour and silent attitudes and the lack of strong preventive reactions,” she said. “However, more facts are needed to launch robust drives to promote awareness and instil a culture of truly preventive measures because there is no reason to allow this phenomenon to continue, or, alarmingly, to grow as indicated by the figures released by competent agencies or authorities,” she said.
I for one am sick of patriarchal religious pukes of all stripes who try to justify their abuse of children or try to minimize that violence. That's another big piece of the problem.
In the case of the girl who was tortured to death by Daddy Dearest, it is quite clear that we had a father with a history of domestic violence and drug abuse, yet he was still allowed contact with his daughter. In fact, he was SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE CUSTODY when the girl turned seven in accordance with Sharia law. This is the same piece of crap who doubted the virginity of a 5-year-old girl. The same piece of crap who RAPED HER.
Are we surprised that this piece of crap refused to return the child to her mother, and tried to destroy their bond as well? No, this is typical of abusers as well.
But you can't deal with the crap until you start telling the truth....
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudis-appalled-by-child-abuse-cases-1.1143591
Saudis appalled by child abuse cases
Victims as much in focus as the social mores their tormentors take advantage of
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Published: 15:32 February 8, 2013
Manama: The recent media reports about two children who were subjected to heart-rending abuse at the hands of their parents have evoked outrage, anger and condemnation among Saudi citizens even as the realisation grows that such reports point to deeper social issues.
The nation was still reeling from the reports that a man who tortured his five-year-old daughter to death had apparently escaped with a light sentence when the local media reported that a nine-year-old boy was being treated at a hospital for injuries inflicted by his father, who repeatedly poured scalding hot water and tea on him.
“That was really too much for us,” Rayyan Abdul Aziz, a real estate agent in the Eastern Province, said. “We are sickened by these reports that alarm us about the depths to which some parents have stooped. People today want concerted and long-ranging efforts by all segments of the society to put an end to a phenomenon that grew out of unacceptable societal norms and values held by some people who have little or no regard for the wellbeing of children despite the clear teachings in Islam to protect them,” he said.
The recent cases have focused attention on parents as perpetrators of domestic abuse, especially when they are virtually certain that they will not have to face the consequences of their actions. Article continues below
In the death-by-torture case, the father had passed himself off as a preacher to give lectures on a private television channel about ethical and moral behaviour. He, however, didn’t have any qualms about torturing his own daughter, Luma, “to discipline her” after the girl’s unsuspecting mother, who was divorced from him, took her over to visit him at a residence where he was living with his new wife.
Luma lived with her divorced mother, but she was allowed to visit her father even though he reportedly did not seem to care about her.
According to Luma’s mother, her former husband had a history with drugs but seemed to have reformed himself before marriage. However, his violent streak surfaced following their marriage and he would often beat her, she said. Unwilling to continue her life with him, she filed for divorce and a court in the eastern city of Dammam ruled in her favour. The judge told her that she would have the custody of their daughter until she turned seven.
She said that, following the divorce, her ex-husband took a new wife and saw Luma only on four occasions.
“The last time was when I took her to visit him after he lapsed into a long silence even though Luma was keen on seeing him,” she said. “The agreement was she would spend two weeks with him, but he refused to let her come home to me. The last words I heard from her were ‘I love you mum and I always pray for you.’ Her father often said that he would make her forget all about me,” the mother said.
She was later informed by police in Riyadh that her daughter was in hospital, where she was being treated for severe burns and bruises and that her condition was critical.
“I could not recognise my own daughter when I saw her in hospital. It was such a terrible shock to see her frail body in this tragic state. She remained paralysed for eight months before she passed away,” she said.
Reports said that the father used wires and an iron rod to punish his daughter and that he had doubts about her virginity.
But Suhaila Zain Al Abideen, a Saudi human rights activist, said no religious or social dimension could explain the father’s behaviour with his daughter. “Let us look at all the theories,” she said. “If the father went by the weak saying that parents could hit their children, it never meant breaking skulls, ribs and a hand. It did not mean using fire to burn a child,” she said, quoted by local news site Sabq.
A father cannot logically have the slightest doubts about his child’s sexual attitudes, she said. “She is a child and what does a five-year-old child know about sexual relations? This is totally illogical. Even if she had been raped, she is the victim and does not understand anything about these things,” she said.
“The punishment, if all the evidence is incriminating, is to give her 100 lashes, and not to break her skull or to torture her,” she said, insisting that the father had no justification for his actions on social, legal or religious grounds and had to be severely punished for killing his daughter by torturing her.
According to the activist, the “tragedy is that the father claims to be a religious preacher”.
“This is a disaster. Islam does not condone violence. Unfortunately, the father knew that he would not be punished severely because, if retribution had awaited him, he would have never tortured his daughter. A preacher is supposed to be a genuine guide in words and deeds,” she said.
In the second child abuse case to make the news in the country recently, a boy repeatedly burnt by his father spoke out about what he endured after his grandfather helped move him to a care centre from his father’s home.
The boy’s father had poured hot water and tea on his son on numerous occasions and also stubbed out cigarettes on his frail body.
The mother chose to remain silent to the abuse but the paternal grandfather reported the matter and the boy, Rakan, was eventually rescued from the his own parents.
The grandfather alerted the Protection Home in Jeddah which took the young boy in.
According to the grandfather, the father did not even have formal identity papers issued in his son’s name. The boy thus never went to school.
Rakan, currently receiving treatment at King Fahd General Hospital in Jeddah, refused to return to his parents, saying that both his father and mother repeatedly punished him with hot water and fire.
“My father poured hot water or hot tea and burned me with fire. He also beat me every day even when I did nothing wrong. Whenever I suffered from the scalding hot liquids or terrible burns, nobody rushed to help me or to treat me,” he recalled.
With the number of abuse victims on the rise, activists and compassionate people face formidable challenges owing to the conservative nature of Saudi society and the privacy reserved for family matters.
Getting information on domestic abuse often proves elusive and even professionals come up against massive challenges addressing such cases.
Last year, Princess Adila Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who patronises many charitable foundations and who has often spoken out against domestic violence, said that strategists and policymakers would need more information, research and studies to help young victims of abuse.
“These are the scientific factors that provide the sound knowledge necessary to lay plans, strategies and programmes that address the lack of care and accomplish the achievements that support children,” she told local Arabic daily Al Riyadh.
Najla, a private school teacher, said that the reasons often given by people to explain negative attitudes by parents included “social exclusion, lack of social skills and addiction to drugs”.
“These have seemingly combined with a culture of passive behaviour and silent attitudes and the lack of strong preventive reactions,” she said. “However, more facts are needed to launch robust drives to promote awareness and instil a culture of truly preventive measures because there is no reason to allow this phenomenon to continue, or, alarmingly, to grow as indicated by the figures released by competent agencies or authorities,” she said.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Dad only fined for murdering 5-year-old daughter (Saudi Arabia)
If you want to know what institutionalized fathers rights looks like, you need look no further than Saudi Arabia, where a daddy can murder his young daughter and get by with a fine.
The killer daddy is FAYHAN AL-GHAMDI.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21281992
31 January 2013 Last updated at 17:36 ET
Anger over death of Saudi girl after father's 'beating'
The campaign was launched by Manal al-Sharif - known for her efforts to win women the right to drive The case of a five-year-old Saudi girl who died after allegedly being beaten by her father has sparked outrage and an online campaign in the kingdom.
The girl, Lama, was the daughter of Fayhan al-Ghamdi, an Islamic preacher who made regular appearances on TV.
He was arrested after Lama's death in November but was reportedly absolved by the judge in the case.
The verdict has sparked an online campaign calling for punishment for violence against women and children.
Saudi media reports said that Ghamdi had paid 200,000 riyals ($50,000; £31,500) in "blood money" - a sum that can be paid to relatives of a murder victim and which, if accepted, can replace a death sentence.
The amount is half what would have been necessary if Lama had been male.
The women's rights activist Manal al-Sharif has launched a Twitter campaign using the hashtag "Ana Lama" (Arabic for "I am Lama") to demand legislation criminalising violence against women or children, the BBC's Sebastian Usher reports.
A few people have signed up so far, but Saudi activists say it's unlikely to have much effect, our analyst says.
But with concern over the issue growing, the Saudi authorities have recently said a 24-hour hotline will be set up to take calls about child abuse.
Lama's mother has said she will pursue the case however she can.
The killer daddy is FAYHAN AL-GHAMDI.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21281992
31 January 2013 Last updated at 17:36 ET
Anger over death of Saudi girl after father's 'beating'
The campaign was launched by Manal al-Sharif - known for her efforts to win women the right to drive The case of a five-year-old Saudi girl who died after allegedly being beaten by her father has sparked outrage and an online campaign in the kingdom.
The girl, Lama, was the daughter of Fayhan al-Ghamdi, an Islamic preacher who made regular appearances on TV.
He was arrested after Lama's death in November but was reportedly absolved by the judge in the case.
The verdict has sparked an online campaign calling for punishment for violence against women and children.
Saudi media reports said that Ghamdi had paid 200,000 riyals ($50,000; £31,500) in "blood money" - a sum that can be paid to relatives of a murder victim and which, if accepted, can replace a death sentence.
The amount is half what would have been necessary if Lama had been male.
The women's rights activist Manal al-Sharif has launched a Twitter campaign using the hashtag "Ana Lama" (Arabic for "I am Lama") to demand legislation criminalising violence against women or children, the BBC's Sebastian Usher reports.
A few people have signed up so far, but Saudi activists say it's unlikely to have much effect, our analyst says.
But with concern over the issue growing, the Saudi authorities have recently said a 24-hour hotline will be set up to take calls about child abuse.
Lama's mother has said she will pursue the case however she can.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Mothers who are victims of domestic violence fear for children left in care of exes (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
As more countries embrace fathers rights (over the safety rights of mothers and children), these concerns are popping up everywhere--not just in the Middle East.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20121115142928
Domestic violence victims fear for children left in care of exes
Last Updated : Thursday, November 15, 2012 12:35 PM Doha Ghouth Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — Most women might be able to get out of a marriage but they cannot always save their children, claimed a number of mothers who escaped abusive marriages but were legally forced to leave their sons and daughters behind with their husbands.
News reports about a father who allegedly beat his five-year-old daughter Lama to death shocked divorced mothers and left them fearing for their children’s lives.
By law, fathers are granted custody of a daughter when she turns seven, but a boy gets the right to choose who he wants to live with, even though mothers sometimes automatically concede custody.
Divorcee Aisha Siddiq said: “I didn’t have my family’s blessing to go back home (when I divorced) with three small children, so leaving them with their father was my only choice.”
Siddiq’s ex-husband was mildly abusive, she said, but she could not stay in such a marriage so she left her children behind for financial and social reasons.
“They are his children as well. I believed he would never harm them as he never did in the past but now I fear for my daughter’s life (following the report about Lama).”
Domestically abused women do not always have the courage to flee from a marriage, but those who have do not expect their children to suffer as they have.
In most cases men are not violent toward their children, but Lama’s death has had mothers thinking twice about whether their sons and daughters are really safe with their fathers.
According to family counselor Elham Ezzy, children from an abusive marriage could be more at risk if the parents stay together.
“A stable human being would never harm his own flesh and blood, but would do that to his spouse for various reasons, which is why awarding custody to a father is not that alarming.”
In a conservative society like Saudi Arabia, divorced women cannot always take full custody of her children due to social and economic factors.
A mother who is granted full custody is only given very minimal financial support.
Kholod Dahban, a divorced mother of three, said: “You can’t feed, clothe and educate a child on only SR500 a month.”
Dahban did not ask her family to help her out financially and got a job to support her children, as leaving them with their father was not an option for her.
“I would not have been able to sleep at night if they were with him. He might love them deep inside but he is incapable of taking care of them.”
A mother’s nurturing nature is seen as the reason why she is given custody until the child turns seven, but some children find living with their fathers a nightmare.
Another victim of an abusive marriage, Lailah Al-Maliki, said: “My children have been living with their father for five years and even though they are old enough to take care of themselves, they still call me every night to come back home. “I have been fighting for them in court but I haven’t gotten anywhere.”
Al-Malki fears for her 10-year-old daughter more than her son.
“She is at a very difficult age and I wish I could take care of her because my ex is doing a very poor job.”
Psychiatrist Dr. Abdullah Naser said: “A mother is first and foremost the care taker and youngsters can’t function without her.
“Psychologically girls are most affected by the absence of a mother figure.”
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20121115142928
Domestic violence victims fear for children left in care of exes
Last Updated : Thursday, November 15, 2012 12:35 PM Doha Ghouth Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — Most women might be able to get out of a marriage but they cannot always save their children, claimed a number of mothers who escaped abusive marriages but were legally forced to leave their sons and daughters behind with their husbands.
News reports about a father who allegedly beat his five-year-old daughter Lama to death shocked divorced mothers and left them fearing for their children’s lives.
By law, fathers are granted custody of a daughter when she turns seven, but a boy gets the right to choose who he wants to live with, even though mothers sometimes automatically concede custody.
Divorcee Aisha Siddiq said: “I didn’t have my family’s blessing to go back home (when I divorced) with three small children, so leaving them with their father was my only choice.”
Siddiq’s ex-husband was mildly abusive, she said, but she could not stay in such a marriage so she left her children behind for financial and social reasons.
“They are his children as well. I believed he would never harm them as he never did in the past but now I fear for my daughter’s life (following the report about Lama).”
Domestically abused women do not always have the courage to flee from a marriage, but those who have do not expect their children to suffer as they have.
In most cases men are not violent toward their children, but Lama’s death has had mothers thinking twice about whether their sons and daughters are really safe with their fathers.
According to family counselor Elham Ezzy, children from an abusive marriage could be more at risk if the parents stay together.
“A stable human being would never harm his own flesh and blood, but would do that to his spouse for various reasons, which is why awarding custody to a father is not that alarming.”
In a conservative society like Saudi Arabia, divorced women cannot always take full custody of her children due to social and economic factors.
A mother who is granted full custody is only given very minimal financial support.
Kholod Dahban, a divorced mother of three, said: “You can’t feed, clothe and educate a child on only SR500 a month.”
Dahban did not ask her family to help her out financially and got a job to support her children, as leaving them with their father was not an option for her.
“I would not have been able to sleep at night if they were with him. He might love them deep inside but he is incapable of taking care of them.”
A mother’s nurturing nature is seen as the reason why she is given custody until the child turns seven, but some children find living with their fathers a nightmare.
Another victim of an abusive marriage, Lailah Al-Maliki, said: “My children have been living with their father for five years and even though they are old enough to take care of themselves, they still call me every night to come back home. “I have been fighting for them in court but I haven’t gotten anywhere.”
Al-Malki fears for her 10-year-old daughter more than her son.
“She is at a very difficult age and I wish I could take care of her because my ex is doing a very poor job.”
Psychiatrist Dr. Abdullah Naser said: “A mother is first and foremost the care taker and youngsters can’t function without her.
“Psychologically girls are most affected by the absence of a mother figure.”
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Custodial dad beats 5-year-old daughter to death; dad was "religious scholar" on TV (Damman, Saudi Arabia)
Given that this is Saudi Arabia where fathers rights are institutionalized, it is almost certain that this puke of an UNNAMED DAD had full custody.
Oh but he's so religious and so full of values....These days, whenever men tell us how "religious" they are, I want to hide my wallet and the kids. The majority of them are just sociopaths with a glib cover for their sick BS.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20121111142523
Five-year-old dies after beating from religious scholar father
Last Updated : Sunday, November 11, 2012 11:57 AM
DAMMAM — A five-year-old child has died after she was allegedly severely beaten by her religious scholar father, Al-Yaum reported.
The child, identified as Luma, suffered severe injuries after her father disciplined her by hitting her repeatedly, his ex-wife said.
She lost consciousness and was admitted to Al-Shemaisi Hospital in Riyadh.
The child's mother, who is divorced from the father, accused her ex-husband and his current wife of injuring her daughter so badly.
She added he is a religious scholar who lectures on television and advocates Islamic values and merits, but does not practice what he preaches.
She pointed out her child suffered internal bleeding in her brain after her skull was fractured.
In addition, her left hand was also fractured with burn marks and bruises on different parts of her body.
Luma was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit and the mother has appealed to human rights bodies to look into the case.
She called for legal action to be taken against the father. She said: “I call on the authorities to apply Islamic laws. Although the child's father has been detained, his wife is still at large. I hold them responsible for my child's death.”
A source at the National Society for Human Rights said the mother has submitted a complaint. The society will coordinate with the Riyadh health directorate to unveil the causes of the child's death, the source added.
Al-Yaum called Riyadh police to find out what had happened to the child's father and his wife, but there was no answer. — SG
Oh but he's so religious and so full of values....These days, whenever men tell us how "religious" they are, I want to hide my wallet and the kids. The majority of them are just sociopaths with a glib cover for their sick BS.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20121111142523
Five-year-old dies after beating from religious scholar father
Last Updated : Sunday, November 11, 2012 11:57 AM
DAMMAM — A five-year-old child has died after she was allegedly severely beaten by her religious scholar father, Al-Yaum reported.
The child, identified as Luma, suffered severe injuries after her father disciplined her by hitting her repeatedly, his ex-wife said.
She lost consciousness and was admitted to Al-Shemaisi Hospital in Riyadh.
The child's mother, who is divorced from the father, accused her ex-husband and his current wife of injuring her daughter so badly.
She added he is a religious scholar who lectures on television and advocates Islamic values and merits, but does not practice what he preaches.
She pointed out her child suffered internal bleeding in her brain after her skull was fractured.
In addition, her left hand was also fractured with burn marks and bruises on different parts of her body.
Luma was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit and the mother has appealed to human rights bodies to look into the case.
She called for legal action to be taken against the father. She said: “I call on the authorities to apply Islamic laws. Although the child's father has been detained, his wife is still at large. I hold them responsible for my child's death.”
A source at the National Society for Human Rights said the mother has submitted a complaint. The society will coordinate with the Riyadh health directorate to unveil the causes of the child's death, the source added.
Al-Yaum called Riyadh police to find out what had happened to the child's father and his wife, but there was no answer. — SG
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Dad beats 10-year-old son unconscious for being "possessed" (Najran, Saudi Arabia)
In a country where fathers' rights are institutionalized--and mothers' rights are nearly non-existent--child abuse is rampant.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120905135071
Father beats ‘possessed’ son unconscious
Last Updated : Wednesday, September 05, 2012 3:43 PM
Saudi Gazette report
NAJRAN — A 10-year-old boy in Sharoura was whipped unconscious Saturday by his father who claimed his son had been possessed, Al-Watan newspaper reported Tuesday.
The victim, identified as Osama, returned home after the first day of school after the summer break, only to be assaulted by his father, who then took him to the emergency ward at Sharoura General Hospital.
The incident came days after another child in Sharoura was beaten to death by his father while disciplining him.
Najran police spokesman Maj. Abdul Rahman Al-Shamarani told Al-Watan that police were contacted by the hospital where the child was being treated for his injuries and investigators were dispatched to deal with the incident.
Al-Shamarani said the 38-year-old father, who was not identified, confessed that he beat his son because he had apparently been “touched” by demons.
The child’s father was detained and the case was referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution for further action, said Al-Shamarani.
The child sustained severe bruises on his back and abdomen and was moved to the hospital’s pediatric ward, said Saleh Bin Saad Al-Mouens, director of Health Affairs in Najran.
Al-Mouens added the victim’s case was also referred to the hospital’s committee for domestic violence, while the local social service department has been contacted.
Chairman of the local family protection committee Abdullah Al-Barigi said he has formed a specialist team to investigate the case.
Al-Watan reported the child’s father had taken his son to a sheikh a day before the incident, claiming the boy was not responding to him and that he thought his son had been tainted by demons.
The sheikh suggested the father take his son to a hospital as he did not see any signs that the child had been “possessed.”
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120905135071
Father beats ‘possessed’ son unconscious
Last Updated : Wednesday, September 05, 2012 3:43 PM
Saudi Gazette report
NAJRAN — A 10-year-old boy in Sharoura was whipped unconscious Saturday by his father who claimed his son had been possessed, Al-Watan newspaper reported Tuesday.
The victim, identified as Osama, returned home after the first day of school after the summer break, only to be assaulted by his father, who then took him to the emergency ward at Sharoura General Hospital.
The incident came days after another child in Sharoura was beaten to death by his father while disciplining him.
Najran police spokesman Maj. Abdul Rahman Al-Shamarani told Al-Watan that police were contacted by the hospital where the child was being treated for his injuries and investigators were dispatched to deal with the incident.
Al-Shamarani said the 38-year-old father, who was not identified, confessed that he beat his son because he had apparently been “touched” by demons.
The child’s father was detained and the case was referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution for further action, said Al-Shamarani.
The child sustained severe bruises on his back and abdomen and was moved to the hospital’s pediatric ward, said Saleh Bin Saad Al-Mouens, director of Health Affairs in Najran.
Al-Mouens added the victim’s case was also referred to the hospital’s committee for domestic violence, while the local social service department has been contacted.
Chairman of the local family protection committee Abdullah Al-Barigi said he has formed a specialist team to investigate the case.
Al-Watan reported the child’s father had taken his son to a sheikh a day before the incident, claiming the boy was not responding to him and that he thought his son had been tainted by demons.
The sheikh suggested the father take his son to a hospital as he did not see any signs that the child had been “possessed.”
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