The Ministry of Social Affairs, represented by its branch in Al-Baha, returned four children who were subjected to physical abuse, to their father after he made the necessary pledges.

An investigation remains underway to find the truth in this case amid accusations from their divorced mother that the father caused this abuse. The children were received from Al-Jaeza Center, affiliated with the goverornate of Adam.

Director of the ministry’s branch in Al-Baha, Ahmad Al-Asimi, said that under the directive of Dr. Naif Al-Subhi, the ministry’s assistant undersecretary for family affairs, a team has been formed from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Al-Baha health department to investigate the case.

A pledge was taken by the father to take care of his children after he got them back, and a female team will visit the children to ensure their safety.

The police called the father after reviewing a number of photos and video clips that showed what allegedly happened to the children. The children are 11-year-old Hadeel, 10-year-old Saeed, six-year-old Mohammad, four-year-old Suhail.

Local media called the father, who denied these photos and said the family of his ex-wife published them to defame him and ruin his reputation. “I went to the police station to file a report, and was interviewed by the Human Rights Commission with two doctors who examined the children.”

The children’s uncle denied the story about the father abusing them saying his brother suffers from hard living conditions and the insurance money doesn’t meet his domestic requirements.

A villager named Abdullah Ahmad said the story has been blown out of proportion and a number of the children’s relatives met in the grandfather’s home for reconciliation to solve the problem. He added that he didn’t see any indications of abuse on the children’s bodies and discussed the custody of the children, but the grandfather refused to allow their mother to visit them.

The version of the story from the mother’s side states that what happened to the children was true and they have been subjected to abuse since the divorce.

A source at the Human Rights Commission in Makkah said a committee came to children’s school and met with the father and wrote a report about the incident.

Al-Baha police spokesman Col. Saad Trad said the police are following up on these children and will help them and will refer their case to the relevant authorities.