12-yr-old boy abused by step mother

Muscat, August 28 - A 12-year-boy was abused by his stepmother, according to the child protection line at the Ministry of Social Development. Specialists from the Family Protection Department applied the Child Law issued as per Royal Decree No 22/2014 in the case in which the child of an Arab nationality was abused by his Asian stepmother, a fact evident from the bruises on his body. He suffered a fracture in his legs because of punishment inflicted on him for trying to escape from home, specialists have confirmed. The child was provided urgent medical treatment and kept under the care of Dar Al Wefq, a protection house affiliated to the ministry. Investigations revealed his stepmother made the child do household work and beat him when he refused. He was abused both psychologically and physically. The ministry thanked the cooperative bodies as well as individuals for reporting such cases. Complaints can be reported on 1100, a toll-free number, 24 hours. All teams are fully prepared to deal with any emergencies. By the end of 2016, 299 cases of child abuse were reported, 53 per cent of which were males and 47 per cent females. Zainab al Nassri