A year after the abuse of 8-year-old Reem was proven, she is still waiting to be transferred to her mother’s custody.

The Preliminary Court in Alkhobar ordered her transfer to the mother in Riyadh, after abuse was proven against the father and his wife. A routine procedure caused a delay of the case file, and it entered a cycle of exchanged letters between the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution in Alkhobar and Al-Shamaisi Hospital in Riyadh.

“Reem’s file is suspended and no solution has been reached yet,” said the child’s lawyer, Fahad Al-Shalawi. “Reem has returned to school but the case is still pending.”

He said problems began when the girl was moved to Riyadh. Her mother demanded the inclusion of the child’s medical report from Al-Shamaisi Hospital to the case file. The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution in Alkhobar agreed to the request, but the hospital’s response was too slow.

The bureau stated it was necessary to write the report in Arabic (it was written in English). Also, the convalescing period was not mentioned in the report.