Gov’t appointed board to take over care centre after abuse case confirmed

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday appointed a temporary administrative board to manage a private disability care centre where a case of child abuse was discovered last week.

The decision was taken upon a recommendation from a Social Development Ministry investigative committee, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Minister of State Salameh Neimat, in his capacity as acting minister of social development, visited Ibrahim Shibli on Sunday, according to Petra.

Family Protection Department staff raided the care centre for persons with disabilities and referred the boy to the forensic unit and the case to the prosecutor general.

In response to the incident, Social Development Minister Reem Abu Hassan formed a committee, which includes a representative from the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities, to look into the case.

Although news websites reported that the 14-year-old boy was Syrian, the ministry refused to confirm or deny the information or give any details on the type of the boy’s disability.

The prosecutor general decided to detain the centre's supervisor for 14 days pending further investigation, and summoned the facility's owner for questioning, Petra quoted Abu Hassan as saying on Monday.

She noted that the Industry and Trade Ministry has referred the Modern Care Company, which owns the Oxygen care centre, where the abuse took place, to the Companies Comptroller Department.

According to the law, a company's board can be dissolved after the Cabinet's approval for reasons related to addressing violations in the facility or protecting the rights of beneficiaries who suffer from mental disabilities and alleviating the damage caused to their parents.

Under Article 168 of the Companies Law, the minister of industry and trade has the right to dissolve the board of a public shareholding company and form a committee to run it for six months if it suffers from “bad” administrative and financial conditions, and upon the recommendations of the ministry’s general companies controller.

Citing the forensic report, Abu Hassan said the doctor who examined the child said he was subjected to "violence and ill-treatment", with the examination indicating that he was hit on his back with a cane.

The centre, which serves 12 persons with disabilities, has no cameras in the room where the incident took place.

About a month ago, a delegation from the ministry’s disability affairs department visited the centre in question and demanded that it rectify its situation after discovering violations.