MAKKAH — The Personal Status Court in Makkah gave custody rights to the mother of an abused daughter. Legal consultant Emad Al-Shatir said the daughter is 20 years old and she had sought help from police and the social protection home to escape physical abuse by her father and other family members. "The court issued an initial verdict to depriving the father his right as the guardian of the young woman and gave the mother her custody until she gets married. The case is now in the Court of Appeals. The social protection home has supported the young woman and helped in the bureaucratic process of removing her from the guardianship of her father," said Al-Shatir. The mother of the young woman said the abuse started after she divorced her ex-husband. "My ex-husband was given custody of my daughter and son and they lived with their step mother. My children were physically and verbally abused, especially my daughter. Her father pulled her out of school and accused her of conspiring with me against him and his new wife," said the mother. She added her daughter was accused by her father of aiding her in sorcery to create problems between him and his wife. "My daughter reported her abuse to the police and the police asked for a medical report of the bruises she had from the abuse. My daughter provided the police with the medical report. Her father and his son tried to threaten her to withdraw the police case and my daughter had to report them to the abuse center," said the mother.
