Erbil security forces arrest woman after viral video appears to show abuse of daughter

ERBIL – Erbil Asayish security forces have arrested a woman following the circulation of a video on social media that appears to show her violently kicking the head of a young girl, who has been identified as her 4-year-old daughter.

According to a statement from Erbil Asayish, the woman, originally from Baghdad, had been residing in Erbil for work.

The arrest was made under orders from the judicial authority. “During the investigation, it was revealed that the child in the video is indeed the woman’s daughter,” the statement confirmed.

Ardalan Fatih, spokesperson for Erbil Asayish, told 964media that the incident took place last week.

“We began investigating as soon as we saw the video on social media. We discovered that she was based in Erbil and working at a nightclub. An arrest warrant was issued, and she was promptly taken into custody,” he said.

During questioning, the woman reportedly blamed being upset and exhausted after returning from work, for her actions.

Fatih said it remains unclear how the video was shared on social media.Erbil Asayish said that the investigation is ongoing, and a medical report on the child’s health is being prepared for submission to the relevant authorities.

The video has sparked widespread outrage, with increased calls for better protection of children and harsher penalties for abusers.

The Domestic Violence Prevention Law No. 8 of 2011 in the Kurdistan Region underlines the importance of protecting children from violence, particularly within the family, where most violations of their rights occur.