Orphanage Official under Fire for Torturing, Beating Young Girl (Video)

Egypt’s Prosecutor General Hamada El-Sawi on Wednesday ordered investigations to be opened into the video showing an official of Nahr Al-Hayat Orphanage torturing and beating a young girl.

The Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Kabbag said that a committee has been formed to investigate the video, which has gone viral on social media platforms, showing the orphanage’s official, named Amani Abdel-Maqsoud, while she was torturing and beating a young girl with a wooden stick.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1222142867306618881

The committee moved to the orphanage and released a report of the incident and referred it to the public prosecution.

This incident is considered one of a long list similar torture cases inside the orphanages.

On March 2017, similar photos for tortured children, went viral on social media and revealed the brutal way they have been treated inside Ishraqa Orphanage located in 6 October City.

The orphanage Psychologist, Khaled Mahmoud has previously stated that many Egyptian children in orphanages are suffering from different mental illnesses due to physical and psychological abuses.

Also in September 2014, Giza misdemeanor court sentenced an Orphanage manager to three years in Jail for assaulting children.

It is noteworthy that orphans in Egypt sometimes face discrimination at school, at work place and when finding a marriage partner. They also are at risk for developing physical, emotional and intellectual delays as a result of residing in an orphanage.

The small amount of research conducted on orphans in Egypt has focused on these deficits and the hardships. However, it may be more empowering and more effective to focus on the strengths and capabilities of these youth. In particular, during adolescence when Egyptian orphans must leave their institutions, it is especially important to understand how to support resilience and give them the tools they need to handle the coming challenges of life, particularly in the context of the stigma they will face as they try to find a marriage partner, gain a job, and become independent.