Abdul Aziz Al-Rabi'ee and Iman Al-Refaee Saudi Gazette
YANBU – A housemaid who allegedly decapitated a four-year-old girl with a cleaver in Yanbu has been referred to the Madinah Mental Health Hospital for evaluation. The psychiatrist who saw the suspect recommended that she be referred to the hospital in Madinah. Meanwhile, the mother of the victim, identified as Tala, left the hospital after receiving proper treatment. However, she is said to still be in severe shock. The mother fainted when she saw her girl's decapitated body on her bed on Wednesday. Yousif Hadi, director of public relations at the Yanbu Health Directorate, said police brought the 25-year-old Indonesian housemaid to the hospital after she drank bleach in an attempt to commit suicide. The housemaid was treated and evaluated by a psychiatrist who recommended that she be referred to Madinah Mental Hospital, he added. The mother, a teacher in Yanbu, did not know that Wednesday would the last day she would see her little girl alive. She is said to have treated her housemaid well and entrusted her with her daughter. The family received Tala's body to bury her after the Friday prayers. Tala's father, who had a traffic accident on Wednesday while he was rushing home, has left hospital after being treated. Teachers in Yanbu offered their condolences to Tala's mother and posted a letter on social networking sites urging the Ministry of Education to provide teachers with daycare centers inside schools supervised by professional workers. Most women teachers hire housemaids to look after their children when they go to work. Meanwhile, Muhammad Al-Sheikh, a social counselor, said when a person feels prosecuted and mistreated, they can be tempted to take revenge in a variety of ways. Being away from their home country can be a huge factor, he added. Sometimes, certain events that take place back home can make foreign workers act violently and commit a crime, he added. Dr. Khalid Al-Oufi, consultant psychiatrist and medical director of Al-Amal Hospital in Jeddah and head of the psychiatry clinic, said the murder is a clear indication that there is a disturbing trend affecting many Saudi families. He added: “I believe this crime was the last straw. We can no longer remain silent or ignore this trend. “Every now and then a little kid get killed or tortured by a housemaid. Psychiatrists and social and family counselors should study this trend and suggest solutions. “The housemaid's behavior reflects nothing but sadism. “She committed a heinous crime that shows that she suffers from internal conflicts and a desire to kill with vengeance and without any remorse.”
