Still from video circulating on social media.
Authorities confirm detention
Karbala police arrest grandfather after child abuse video circulates
KARBALA – Karbala police arrested a man accused of physically abusing a young girl after a disturbing video circulated on social media, authorities said Wednesday. The footage, confirmed to be from the Ain Al-Tamr area in Karbala governorate, appears to show the man harming the child.
Lieutenant General Dr. Adnan Hamoud Salman, director of the Family and Child Protection Department from Domestic Violence, directed the Karbala Family Protection Division to take immediate action. “Officials obtained judicial approval to investigate, and security teams from the Family Protection Unit, with assistance from the Criminal Investigation Office, identified the perpetrator as the child’s grandfather,” police said in a statement.
The suspect was arrested and placed in detention under Article 413 of the Iraqi Penal Code.
In the video, the grandfather is seen pulling the child’s hair while asking, “Are you afraid to come with me?” The girl, crying, responds, “No!” However, the motive behind the abuse and the reason for recording and sharing the video online remain unclear.
Child abuse continues to be a pressing issue in Iraq. In recent months, other cases have emerged: on Nov. 23, 2024, Domestic Violence Police in Najaf arrested a father and stepmother for allegedly torturing a six-year-old girl.
On Oct. 14, 2024, police in Baghdad’s Al-Rusafa arrested a father after a video circulated appeared to show him beating his daughter, with visible signs of torture prompting immediate hospitalization.
A June 9 report by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior indicated that nearly 14,000 incidents of domestic and family violence were recorded during the first five months of 2024, highlighting the challenges posed by inadequate legislation to protect vulnerable victims, particularly women and children.