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Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi gestures during a cabinet meeting on September 22, 2021 in Baghdad. Photo: handout/Iraqi PM office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Friday ordered the arrest of a man who is accused of brutally beating his son in a video that went viral in Iraq.
In the graphic undated video, a child who appears to be about eight or nine years old, is chained by his neck to a wall. The boy, with blood dripping down his face, is seen pleading with his father to stop beating him.
Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson for Kadhimi, said in a tweet that the prime minister ordered “the implementation of legal measures and the arrest of the citizen who appeared in a video published on social media, committing violence against one of his sons.”
Kadhimi also instructed relevant authorities to take care of the child and ensure his safety “until the end of legal proceedings against his father.”
A hashtag, #انقذوا_الطفل_محمد (save Mohammed the child), was trending on Twitter as Iraqis showed solidarity with the boy.
Details about the boy or his father, when or where the video was filmed, are not known.
Child abuse is a serious problem in Iraq.
According to UNICEF, “4 out of 5 children in Iraq experience violence at home or in school. Despite the decrease of hostilities in Iraq, the culture of violence continues and children heavily bear the brunt.”
UNICEF said in August that it is working with government and non-government actors to promote child protection in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
In the graphic undated video, a child who appears to be about eight or nine years old, is chained by his neck to a wall. The boy, with blood dripping down his face, is seen pleading with his father to stop beating him.
Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson for Kadhimi, said in a tweet that the prime minister ordered “the implementation of legal measures and the arrest of the citizen who appeared in a video published on social media, committing violence against one of his sons.”
Kadhimi also instructed relevant authorities to take care of the child and ensure his safety “until the end of legal proceedings against his father.”
A hashtag, #انقذوا_الطفل_محمد (save Mohammed the child), was trending on Twitter as Iraqis showed solidarity with the boy.
Details about the boy or his father, when or where the video was filmed, are not known.
Child abuse is a serious problem in Iraq.
According to UNICEF, “4 out of 5 children in Iraq experience violence at home or in school. Despite the decrease of hostilities in Iraq, the culture of violence continues and children heavily bear the brunt.”
UNICEF said in August that it is working with government and non-government actors to promote child protection in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
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