Sheriff Javier Salazar testified to the local media about the violence that the 16-year-old Maarib Al Hishmawi had to endure. “She was beaten with broomsticks. At least once she was strangled until she lost consciousness. “In addition, several reports came in that the parents threw hot cooking oil on their daughter, he says.
$ 20,000
According to the police, the girl was abused because she did not want to marry an elderly man in another city. Her parents had promised their daughter a year ago for $ 20,000 when she was only 15 years old. The family had moved from Iraq to the United States one year earlier.
To escape the horror at home, the girl decided to walk away at the end of January. Her disappearance brought the news, and eventually the FBI was also called on to track down the girl. This month she was found safe and secure, after which the facts came to light.
Six children
Parents were arrested last Friday and their six other children, between 6 and 15 years old, were housed in a safe place. It is not clear whether they were also abused.
According to the police, it is “very likely” that a man who wanted to marry the girl is also charged.
