Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb has called for the maximum penalty against those responsible for the death of five-year-old girl Janna, who was reportedly tortured to death by her grandmother in Daqahliya governorate.
El-Tayyeb has also vowed to pay the medical bills for Janna s sister, Amani, who suffered similar abuse. The grand imam also promised to pay for her psychological rehabilitation and school fees.
Janna died on Saturday at Sherbeen hospital in Daqahliya governorate after suffering physical abuse at the hands of her maternal grandmother, who is currently in police custody on charges of torture, according to the National Council For Childhood and Motherhood.
The victim s exact cause of death has not yet been determined.
The grandmother, who had been awarded custody of Janna and her six-year-old sister, Amani, following their parents’ divorce, is accused of inflicting burns on both girls.
The victim was admitted to Sherbeen General Hospital, where hospital staff contacted police after discovering that the child had multiple scars and injuries on her body, including burns in the genital area.
According to the National Council For Childhood and Motherhood, Janna also suffered from gangrene infections in different parts of the body.
On Saturday, the victim s father made a formal accusation before the prosecution alleging that his children were tortured by their mother and grandmother and were molested by their three uncles.
Meanwhile, member of parliament Reda El-Beltagy has called on the concerned authorities to take all the necessary measures to protect children from this kind of abuse.
"This child did not enjoy her life except when she was in her mother s womb, she suffered since her birth," El-Baltagy said.
MP Khaled Hanafy, a member of the constitutional and legislative affairs committee, said that there is a need to amend the 1996 child law to add tougher penalties against anyone "who wants to harm a child, even if it is their father."
The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood has urged Facebook users not to circulate images of Janna and Amani out of respect for their privacy, and has called on citizens who witness abuse to report it to the council s child abuse hotline (16000).
