Police authorities in Makkah referred the case of Rakan, the nine-year-old boy who has been severely abused by his parents, to the general prosecutor following the complaint submitted by the boy’s grandfather requesting authorities to protect Rakan and charge the father with abuse.
The case in itself has gained new momentum at this stage, after the Human Rights Commission issued a statement condemning and denouncing all kinds of physical and psychological torture the child experienced, a local newspaper reported. Meanwhile, a committee was formed to follow up on Rakan’s condition at King Fahad Hospital where he is being treated with utmost secrecy in a special room, with officials from the Ministry of Social Affairs present at his side.
The spokesman of Jeddah Police, 1st Lt. Nawaf Al-Booq, said the father was brought in and confronted with the charges.
The case was then referred to the investigation commission and the general prosecutor. The grandfather demanded the severest penalty to be issued against the father, stressing that the boy endured so much violence and torture. “When you ask Rakan what his wishes are, he says he wants to buy a knife to cut his mom and dad to pieces,” said the grandfather.
An official source at the committee of social protection said traces of torture are evident on the boy’s body. “The boy’s case was referred to the southern police department in Jeddah to issue a formal investigation regarding the incident, ” added the source. The child was admitted to King Fahad hospital for further medical examinations and treatment.
Rakan’s case is complicated due the thorny nature of the relationship between the family members, which dates back to even before Rakan was born at a reformatory home. The grandfather attested that his son was an addict and a violent man.
Jawaher Al-Nahar, director of the women’s bureau in the Human Rights Commission in Makkah, denounced all types of torture the child was subject to, demanding the authorities to impose the severest punishment on the offenders.
Refusing to go back home to his parents, or to live with his grandfather, Rakan narrated some of the excruciating abuse he was subjected to, citing many instances when his father would beat him.
“I was beaten even though I was a good boy. My father would pour hot water on me and lock me in the bathroom, sometimes overnight, and I would sleep on the floor. He hasn’t even enrolled me in school yet.”
Rakan has requested to be placed in the custody and care of a social worker called Shaymaa. According to Nermeen Fadhel, the supervisor at the women’s department in the committee for social protection, “Rakan’s health is gradually improving. However, the doctor in charge of his case has recommended conducting a cosmetic surgery.”
Fadhel recalled that Rakan seemed very frightened about going back to live with his father.
She added that a committee visited his parents, but they denied the allegations charged against them. “The father insisted that he hadn’t tortured Rakan, except once when he misbehaved, and that he spilled hot water on the boy by mistake, thinking it was cold water.”
In the same context, Mohammed Al-Harbi, director general of the department of social protection at the Ministry of Social Affairs in Riyadh, visited Rakan at the hospital and gave directions to admit Rakan into a social protection home in Jeddah after he is treated.
Also, Sami Badauod, the general manger of medical affairs in Jeddah, visited Rakan and held a meeting with the doctors at the hospital to discuss the child’s condition.
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