The General Department of Human Rights of Dubai Police recently investigated the case of a 5-year-old boy beaten and starved by his own parents. They even burned him on parts of his body.

The parents admitted to torturing their child, claiming that he was troublesome and hyperactive.

Brigadier-General Mohammad Al Murr of the human rights department said that the boy's case was referred to the Women and Child protection department, after a Dubai police station received a report from the child's school. It stated that the teachers had noticed the boy had been beaten with wires and had burn marks on his body. School authorities also noted that the boy, in the second grade, was academically smart, with good memorisation and observation skills.

The child displayed great intelligence while talking to the police officials, recounting details of his physical abuse and food deprivation.

On being questioned, the father denied harming the child, while the mother - who is a school teacher herself - said they did not beat him.

However, she justified the harsh treatment of their son because of his excessive energy and playful activities and that he told outsiders about what happened in their home. She said they cut down his food because he was "eating too much", even though he was observed to be thin and small for his age.

Brigadier-General Al Murr said that due to the nature of the abuse involved, the case has been referred to the public prosecution. The women and child protection department also prepared a case file of the incident and sent it to the Community Development Authority (CDA), to study the behaviour of the parents.

The department has obliged the parents to sign a pledge not to hurt the child again, until the case is resolved. A special team has been formed, in liaison with the school's administration, to check on the boy regularly.

The Women and Child Protection Department deals with victims of violence and neglect, with a team dedicated to post-incident support and care. They registered 29 cases of child abuse with the human rights department in the first half of this year, including cases of neglect, violence and physical abuse, Brig-Gen Al Murr noted.

Saeed Rashid Al Ahli, director of the department, said that around 24 per cent of the cases recorded against children are of physical assault and 35 per cent of neglect. Also, 35 per cent of the cases involve children aged 6 to 10, and 24 per cent affect ages 11 to 18. The department were notified about 6 cases of physical aggression in the first half of 2017.

The department also carries out thorough awareness and education programmes, aimed specifically at protecting children, including sessions targeted at social workers in public schools to educate them about child abuse and neglect.

The UAE's special child protection law No 3 - popularly known as the Wadeema Law - is designed to protect children from birth to puberty from a variety of forms of abuse, including physical, verbal and psychological abuse, came into effect in June 2016.

Source: Khaleej Times