The abused child in Khaibar refuses to return to his family and wishes to be under the custody and care of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, Al-Madinah reported. A source said the Ministry of Labor and Social Development interfered to save the young boy and his two sisters who were brutally abused by their own mother. "The Madinah Human Rights Commission and other authorities are investigating the case. It is being described as one of the cruelest and most brutal cases of domestic abuse. The children had a mother in her 40s and mentally unstable and a father with diabetes who was too weak to protect them," said the source. The source also said the children endured great mental and physical torture and torment over the past two years. "The mother locked her children in the attic of their house and starved them for many hours. She would beat them brutally and isolate the two girls from their brother. The girls said their mother beat them with her bare hands, with shoes, metal rods and wooden plates. She would not let visitors come to the house and would not let them contact anyone. The authorities are still investigating the motives the mother could have to abuse her children," said the source. The source the children described the abuse they underwent but they never said why their mother was abusing them. "The mother was diagnosed with a mental illness, the boy was taken to Madinah Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center and the girls were taken to a protection home. The boy has recovered by 70 percent but still needs more attention to his physical state. The boy said that he does not wish to return to his family," said the source. The source also said Madinah Labor and Social Development Directorate has visited the children and reviewed their rehabilitation programs. "The children's bodies were akin to bodies of people who were in famine. Their spine was protruding and they displayed physical and mental exhaustion. The mother shaved the girls' heads and neglected the three of them. The ministry provided new clothes for the children and gave them gifts as well," said the source. Madinah Labor and Social Development Director Ali Al-Ghamdi said the directorate is cooperating with Madinah Governorate to investigate the criminal aspect of the case. "The directorate formed a medical committee to provide medical care for the children. They are all in a stable health condition but require more medical attention still. The two girls are receiving monthly aid for their disabilities as one of them is mildly mentally disabled since birth while the other has hereditary anemia," said the source.
