Mother in infant-beating case referred for mental evaluation

AMMAN — A mother who reportedly appeared in a video beating her infant in Zarqa last week was referred to government physicians for a mental health  evaluation on Sunday, according to Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) officials.

On November 7, a short video clip went viral purportedly showing a woman beating a new-born.

Police later announced that they had arrested the woman, who reportedly confessed to beating her child.

The woman was referred to the prosecution office and was ordered to be detained for one week, pending further investigations on child abuse charges.

“We decided to refer the woman to be examined by government physicians because what she did to her infant was not normal,” said Head of the Juvenile and Community Security Directorate at the Ministry Mahmoud Hrout.

Hrout told The Jordan Times that the mother claimed that she “beat her new-born because she was subjected to violence by her husband”.

“The woman informed us that her husband was very abusive to her and that she had filed a complaint against him at the Family Protection Department,” Hrout said.

As a result of the claims, the ministry official added that “both parents will undergo several guidance sessions before they are reunited with their children”.

“The most important thing to us is the children’s safety, and the parents of these children will have to undergo several guidance sessions until we make sure that it is safe for their children to have them back in their lives,” Hrout added.

Officials said that the infant and his siblings, aged three and four, were shown to a physician and were found to be in good health. 

The officials added that the children were handed to their father and grandfather, after periodical visits were arranged and their safety guaranteed in cooperation with the MoSD.