A court here has sentenced a father to two years imprisonment for physically abusing his 14-year-old daughter. In a gruesome case of domestic violence, the man was found guilty of tying up his daughter, Layla, with ropes for 18 days and giving her very little food to eat. This eventually led to the girl developing kidney failure and gangrene. Layla was found with burns and scars all over her body. The National Society for Human Rights in Taif followed up Layla's case after she was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit at the city's King Faisal Hospital. Investigations indicated that the father deliberately physically abused the girl. The girl's parents are separated. After being treated at the hospital, Layla was taken to the Taif Social Protection House and she is now going through a rehabilitation program. The Minster of Social Affairs has pinned hopes on the 2nd Arab Conference on Family Protection from Domestic Violence, which will be held in Amman, Jordan, this Sunday, to find solutions to this increasing social threat. The minister said that strong legislation and well-thought out policies will help protect families from the menace of domestic violence.
