Beaten. Raped. Threatened. For two years a Syrian refugee boy who is now 13 years old, and whose name remains unknown due to political pressure on his family, was subjected to sexual assault by three Lebanese men in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. The molestation of this Syrian refugee child resonates further than its monstrosity as a standalone incident. Indeed, referring to it as an “incident” would be wrong. It would underplay the fact that this experience is not a rare occurrence but a hideous reality for vulnerable children. Those who prey on them remain reassured by the knowledge that their victims will remain silent and they will not be held accountable for their actions.
PROTECTED BY POWER
In a video that went viral all over social media, Hadi Qamar, Mustafa Shaashouh, and Hassan Shaashouh were seen to be laughing as they beat and raped the Syrian boy while he screamed out in desperation. For two whole years, he was assaulted by eight men which preyed on his vulnerability. For two years, the men exploited his defencelessness at his place of work, capitalising on his desperation after having dropped out of school to provide for his mother who was struggling financially after having fled Syria in the chaos of war.
For two whole years this Syrian boy carried the heavy brunt of his secret, unable to talk of the atrocities he was experiencing. As the predators laughed and forced him to commit sexual acts, his dignity and rights against sexual violence protected in numerous international law instruments were callously ripped away. These atrocities are made worse by the confidence with which they are committed, and the confidence of the perpetrators that they had intimidated the boy to such an extent that he would never speak out. The confidence that they had in the knowledge that should he ever tell, it would be his word against theirs. Worst of all, the confidence that they had in the power of one of their number as the son of a senior Hezbollah Official, which would provide them with almost complete impunity.
POLITICAL GASLIGHTING
In an interview with the boy’s mother, she explains that her son felt so threatened that he had never spoke to her of his experiences. As the video of his terrified screams circulated on the internet, they made their way to her phone where she heard her son begging, pleading for the help of God and anyone around. Yet, what is truly absurd is that in the Middle East such cases are so rarely given the priority and attention they deserve on a national scale. While social media created an uproar over the treatment and neglect of the child, officials either turned a blind eye or utilised the “incident” as yet another building block to their political agendas.
The Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul-Karim, insinuated that the video of the boy was released in a strategically orchestrated manner in order to further achieve “certain political goals”. Despite his assertion that the Syrian regime’s embassy is following up on the issue with the Lebanese judicial system, the deflection of blame away from the flawed social and judicial structure is incredibly dangerous. Doing so allows far too many perpetrators to use their power and status to escape accountability. This is illustrated by the fact that more than a month after the video was released, the Lebanese authorities have yet to show any real commitment to finding and arresting the rapists.
A NEED FOR REFORM OF SOCIETAL ATTITUDES
The Syrian boy’s experience is devastating. Yet, his story has undeniably received more media publicity than similar cases of sexual assault in Lebanon and its neighbouring countries, where other victims of sexual assault continue their lives in fear and silence. But awareness is not enough. The stigma that stubbornly clings to the victims of such abuse must be eradicated.
In a recent interview, the head of the Union for the Protection of Juveniles in Lebanon, Amira Sukkar, describes the intense feeling of guilt that this boy now carries. A feeling that he is guilty of the crime and that it is his fault. Although this self-condemning mentality cannot be eliminated overnight, it is crucial that the Lebanese government and its neighbouring countries work to change the societal attitudes that cause victims to blame themselves. One way in which this can be done is through increasing the support available to victims of sexual assault, providing them with the necessary protection to replace this mentality of self-blame with judicial accountability for perpetrators.
Beyond that, it is essential to analyse the reasons why an opportunity for sexual abuse was open to these men for two years. Although the exploitation of the Syrian boy’s rights was undeniably a consequence of the maliciousness of the predators, it more profoundly represents the prevailing social hardships in Lebanon and more generally in the Middle East which create the opening for such acts to occur.
The interconnectedness between education and child protection is undeniable. Empowering children, therefore, by providing them with a stable welfare and support system and education is essential. What happened to this Syrian boy cannot be changed. What can be changed is a commitment to cultivating a socioeconomic environment in which children are not forced to drop out of school in order to make ends meet. Doing so would be the first of many steppingstones toward prioritising the rights and best interest of the child in the Middle East.
Sarah is a second year undergraduate student studying BSc Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University College London. She has a keen interest in human rights - with a particular interest in Middle Eastern Affairs due to her Syrian origins.