Pictures and footage of a five-year-old Yemeni girl with severe bruises on her face have enraged human rights activists who accuse her parents in rebel-held Sanaa of abuse.
Activists launched a social media campaign on Wednesday morning, urging international rights groups to rescue a girl named Shayma, who lives in the Old City.
"Shayma, only 5 years old, is living in Ghargat Al Kaleis in old Sanaa and appeared in a video complaining of being exposed to brutal beatings by her father and mother," Nada Al Ahdal, director of the child rights Nada Foundation, told The National.
Activists say that the Iran-backed rebels, who control Sanaa, temporarily arrested the parents and took Shayma into custody. However, the parents were released without charge. Some have accused the pair of bribing officials and using connections to get their daughter back, although The National could not confirm this.
“Shayma appeared in a video recorded by a neighbour showing her with bruises and abrasions,” said Ms Al Ahdal.
“Using innocent words she is describing her father beating her face, pushing her against the walls and cupboards and pulling her hair. She also had burn marks on her arms.”
Mohammed Al Muradi, who shared Shayma’s story on Facebook, blamed authorities in Sanaa for not doing anything to help the girl. He urged them to save Shayma’s life “before her father kills her”.
“I spent more than 70,000 Yemeni rials [Dh1,027] on phone calls to try and reach security in Sanaa and UN human rights organisations but it is of no use and they did not take the matter seriously,” Mr Muradi said in a video posted on his Facebook page.
Shayma was reportedly raised by her grandfather until the age of three. After he died, her parents, who had remarried after divorcing when Shayma was an infant, took her back in.
“Her father is known for his psychological problems, while her mother has criminal records,” said Ms Al Ahdal. “Her mother was recently serving time in the central prison in Sanaa.
“The neighbours near Shayma’s house confirmed that the little girl’s parents beat her every day in an extremely brutal manner.”
Mohammed Al Hakami, a Sanaa-based human rights activist, told The National that Shayma's story has sparked a wave of anger in the capital, which he said is what prompted the Houthis to initially arrest the parents.
“Her mother was released shortly afterwards because she is pregnant.”
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
