Beaten for turning on the TV: Video shows abuse of Egypt's orphans

A video showing the director of a Cairo orphanage beating young children has provoked outrage in Egypt. Egyptian authorities responded by quickly arresting the director. But our Observer says that to put an end to this kind of abuse, there must be more serious consequences for those who perpetrate violence against children.

The video was filmed a year ago in the Macca el Mocarrama orphanage on al-Ahram street in Cairo. It was posted to YouTube by the director’s wife, who wanted to denounce her husband’s cruelty.

WARNING: THESE IMAGES ARE SHOCKING

The video shows a man of about 40 years of age hitting small children with a wooden stick and then kicking them violently. He is later identified as the orphanage director, Oussama Othmane. Throughout the two minute duration of the video, Othmane is heard yelling at the children for having turned on the television and having opened the fridge without his permission.

The video spread like wildfire across social media, sparking widespread outrage from the Egyptian public.

“This man should be given a fine and a prison sentence. He should also be cut off from his social security benefits and his pension, making him an example for people who mistreat children.”

The governor of Gizeh, Ali Adbderrahmane, announced Sunday that the association that manages the orphanage would be dissolved and that an investigative commission would be established with the aim of gathering testimonies from the children about the violence that they may have undergone. He also confirmed that 13 children currently living at the orphanage in question would be transferred to other establishments.

Oussama Othmane was taken into police custody Monday and is currently undergoing questioning. His wife, who works alongside him in the orphanage, said in an emotional statement on Egyptian television that he had been beating the children for a long time and that he was also violent towards her.

"Egypt has the best child protection legislation in the Middle East, but these laws haven’t been enforced"

Sadly, abuse is common in Egyptian orphanages. In the past year, five separate cases came to light, ranging from children being beaten with wooden sticks to sexual violence.

Very often, it plays out in exactly the same way: the authorities order the shutdown of the orphanage and fine the directors. That’s not a good enough deterrent. When we filed our complaint, we asked that the person accused of abuse be tried in a criminal court and not a civil court, as is often the case. Those who abuse children should be sent to prison.

Egypt has the best child protection legislation in the Middle East, but these laws haven't been enforced because of a lack of the necessary commitment from politicians. We’ve been calling for it to be put into action for years.

The law includes a prevision establishing a commission for child protection in each district. These commissions would oversee the work of educators in the orphanages as well as verifying the living conditions for the children. These commissions would be required to report their findings frequently to government ministers.

These days, the number of organisations that run orphanages in Egypt is growing uncontrollably. It’s become a flourishing racket because Egyptians donate lots of money to orphanages. Some organisations have become rich enough to buy themselves several entire buildings!