A child has died under suspicious circumstances in Hodeidah, a city controlled by Houthi militias, with allegations of torture and premeditated murder by his father. The alleged motive was to prevent the child's handover to his mother, pursuant to a court order. Sources close to the family reported that the child, Qanaf Ali Al-Qadimi, from the Al-Bayda neighborhood in Hodeidah, was a victim of severe disputes between his parents over custody. The father had reportedly refused to hand over the child to his mother for nearly two months, preempting the court's ruling. The sources indicated that on the scheduled day for the court order's execution, the mother received a call from the father claiming their son had died two days prior from an alleged drowning in a "water bucket" inside the home. The father then reportedly buried the body secretly, without informing the mother at the time. In response, activists and media personnel stated that the mother promptly filed an urgent complaint with the relevant authorities upon learning of the incident. This prompted the prosecution to issue an order for the exhumation and examination of the body. Activists confirmed that the initial examination of the child's corpse revealed signs of severe beatings, torture, and brutal abuse across various parts of his body. This contradicted the father's account and led to the opening of an official investigation into the criminal circumstances surrounding the death. This shocking incident occurs amid a frightening surge in domestic violence cases in the governorate and areas under militia control. Specialists and sociologists attribute the increase in these acute family disputes to the unprecedented deterioration of living and economic conditions, and the loss of livelihoods resulting from the militia's continued looting of employee salaries. This has amplified psychological and social pressures on families, creating an environment detrimental to family stability, with children being the primary victims. |
