Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat ordered the arrest of Osama Mohamed Othman, acting manager of the Mecca Al-Mokarama Orphanage in the Haram district, after a video on social networks showing him mistreating orphans. The video was uploaded by Othman's wife, Elham Eid Awad, the original manager of the orphanage. The two-minute video clip uploaded on Facebook and YouTube shows Othman beating children between the ages of three and nine years old, and kicking them as they ran away. Children were shown screaming in pain, falling down and rolling on the floor. Care for the orphans was the responsibility of the FACE Association, which assists orphans and street children, and the Al-Orman Orphanage. They are currently receiving emotional and psychological rehabilitation from a special committee formed by the Ministry of Social Solidarity. According to statements by the orphans, they were regularly beaten, kicked and stepped on, and parts of their bodies burnt with fire. Barakat has ordered the closure of the orphanage and seized sticks used to beat the children. He has also ordered the detention of Othman for 15 days pending investigation. Eight surveillance cameras were seized as evidence. The prosecutor has also ordered medical examinations of the children and camera footage from the orphanage to be examined. Preliminary investigations indicated that Othman had assaulted the children because they watched TV and opened the refrigerator looking for food without his permission. Giza Governor Ali Abdel-Rahman has now decided to close the orphanage and refer its workers for investigation, in addition to the current investigation being carried out by the public prosecution. “There have been several complaints dating back to 2011 regarding physical abuse and corruption at the orphanage,” Abdel-Rahman said. “It was essential to shut it down and put it under the government's financial and administrative supervision.” Awad, the original manager, said she received a licence to run the orphanage in 2006 and began operations the next year. “I raised 10 boys and 10 girls. I was operating the orphanage alone as my husband was not in Cairo at the time. Four years later, he came back and began taking control of work at the orphanage,” she said. As Othman gradually assumed responsibility, Awad no longer visited the orphanage as often as before. “This is why it took me a while to notice that the abuse was taking place,” she said. Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali said on her Facebook page: “The problems are many and the way ahead is long, but we will surely succeed with the will of God and the persistence of the people.” She said that regular visits would be arranged to orphanages and a supervisory system set up. Aziza Ammar, head of social services at the ministry, said that there were 1.7 million orphans in Egypt. “Their numbers are on the rise,” she added. Ammar said that the ministry did its best to ensure that orphans were safe by providing shelter and foster parents at the institutions. “We also urge people to donate money to orphanages to help them,” she said. She denied accusations of child abuse and fraud at state orphanages. “Incidents of beating or abusing children at government orphanages are individual cases. All orphanages and employees are under the ministry's strict supervision,” she claimed. According to Ammar, all orphanages are registered at the Ministry of Social Solidarity and in some cases are funded by the ministry. Although the government funds many orphanages, many are supported through private and commercial funds. The spokesman for the Al-Orman Orphanage, Mohamed Farid, said that the number of orphans in Egypt was much higher than the 1.7 million quoted. “I would suggest it is between three and five million,” he said. Donations ensure the provision of food, shelter, education, healthcare and even marriage dowries and property for orphans, yet they are often insufficient. Since donations are not a steady source of income, particularly in state orphanages, standards can vary dramatically. According to UNICEF, Egypt has yet to adopt national minimum standards for children for all types of social care institutions as demanded by UN resolutions. The Egyptian Coalition for Children's Rights has filed a formal complaint against the director of the orphanage. Hani Hilal, secretary-general of the group, said that “Egypt has the best child protection legislation in the Middle East, but these laws haven't been enforced due to the lack of commitment on the part of decision-makers.” “We've been calling for it to be put into action for years,” he said. Unfortunately, abuse is all too common. “In the past year, five separate cases have come to light, ranging from children being beaten with sticks to sexual violence,” Hilal said. The government reacts in the same way whenever violations take place, ordering the shutdown of the orphanage and fining the directors. “But this is not a good enough deterrent. The person accused of abuse must be tried in the criminal court and not the civil court, as is often the case. Those who abuse children should be sent to prison,” Hilal said. In 2010, the Ministry of Social Solidarity formed a committee to shut down the Al-Tofoula Al-Saida Orphanage after children were abused by male staff. There were also instances of fraud, lack of building permits, staff shortages, insufficient specialised supervisors and the absence of security guards. “Sadly, the orphanages' work is hampered by a lack of funding and poor staff training,” Hilal said. The law includes a provision establishing a commission for child protection in each district. “These commissions are supposed to oversee the work of educators in the orphanages, as well as verifying the living conditions of the children. They should be required to report their findings to government ministers,” Hilal said. Nowadays, the number of organisations running orphanages is also growing because Egyptians donate lots of money to orphanages. Some organisations have become rich enough to buy themselves entire buildings.
