Child murdered by adoptive parent It is a heart-wrenching story that is stranger than fiction. Faisal, a five-year-old boy was murdered by his adoptive father in the most brutal manner, sending shockwaves among the people in Riyadh. Faisal, who was adopted by a Saudi family just three months ago through the Ministry of Social Affairs, died after he was beaten up badly by the adoptive father. There were injuries all over the body including the head and there were burn marks on his private parts too, all because the child was given to bed-wetting! Doctors at the Al-Iman Hospital were shocked to see the condition of the boy but all efforts to save him proved in vain. Dr. Mashour Al-Wikdani, consultant forensic and medical director at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Riyadh and team leader of protection from violence and abuse at Riyadh Health, gave details of the case in his appearance on the Ya Hala program on the Gulf Rotana Channel. “As soon as the pathologist suspected a felony, he informed the authorities concerned who immediately rushed to the offender’s house and discovered the tools of crime including a stick, pipe and other instruments used to torture the child,” he said. Suha Al-Ghamdi, director of the Women’s Unit at the Ministry of Social Affairs in Riyadh, said on the television program that the ministry had verified the family’s background before giving Faisal away for adoption. “We were also aware about the child suffering from bed-wetting,” she said. The adoptive mother should also be seen as a party to the crime since it was she who called up the unit and told them what her husband had done to the child. Al-Ghamdi said Faisal’s case was exceptional and that it should not be generalized. The ministry should also not be held responsible because it verifies the psychological conditions and background of families before awarding them adoption rights, she said, adding that this was the first case of torture in an adoptive family in 40 years. Chairperson of the Saudi National Association for Human Right Dr. Suhaila Zein Al-Abedin, however, blamed the Ministry of Social Affairs and the management of its orphans, and said it must be held responsible for the death. She said the fact that the ministry officials visited the adoptive parents home just once before handing him over clearly indicated that there was something amiss in the functioning of the ministry. “Even if tests prove that the adoptive father suffered from psychological problems, it doesn’t excuse him from the crime, and he needs to be tried in court,” Dr. Fahad Al Yahia,” a psychiatrist said. The case of Faisal has generated huge interest in social media with many stating that the father should be tried and convicted so that it will be a deterrent to others.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Jun 2013 05:08:04 +0000
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