Sibling calls for speedy burial of child victim

Sibling calls for speedy burial of child victim

Last updated: Friday, July 19, 2013 11:19 PM

Soad Al-Shamrani

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — The brother of a five-year-old orphan who died earlier this month at the hands of the head of the family fostering him have called on authorities to expedite his burial procedures.

Othman, brother of the victim identified as Faisal, said the boy kept crying and begged them to save him from the foster father after a week of being in their care.

Faisal was the youngest child in the social protection home run by the Ministry of Social Affairs. “He was the apple of our eyes. He loved drawing and was talented at it,” Othman said.

He added that they did not know that Faisal was going to live permanently with the foster family and were told he was going to stay temporarily.

Faisal returned after a week in a miserable condition and was not wearing any underwear.

“He kept saying ‘I promise you I won’t wet myself again. Let me live with you’,” Othman said.

Faisal had a bedwetting problem and could not hold urine. Whenever he wetted himself his foster father beat him.

Faisal’s brothers asked the home’s director to let Faisal stay with them but he refused. He even asked them not to contact Faisal so that he could adapt to life with his new foster family.

Faisal lived with the family for six months.

“We were literally shocked when Okaz/Saudi Gazette carried the news of Faisal’s death at the hands of the foster father,” Othman said.

What is worse is that Faisal’s body has still not been buried even though it has been a long time since the postmortem examination, he continued.

Othman has called upon the ministry to run extensive background checks on any family wishing to foster a child from the home.

The postmortem examination report showed that Faisal had suffered severe injuries all over his body, in addition to burns on his genitals. The cause of death was brain concussion.