Dubai: Dubai Police intervened to prevent a father from assaulting his teenaged daughter for speaking with her mother and strangers on Snapchat.
The police’s Women and Children Protection Department intervened after the teen’s school alerted them following her Arab mother, who has been separated from her Gulf national husband for the past four years and is now living in her country, called up the school and asked for help in saving her 16-year-old daughter from physical assault.
Lieutenant-Colonel Saeed Rashid Al Heli, director of the Women and Children Protection Department, said the school noticed signs of violence on the teenager’s head and sought the police’s help.
The girl told the police that her father assaulted her when he saw her talking with her mother and friends on Snapchat and confiscated four smart phones found with her.
“When we summoned the father, he said that he was trying to discipline his daughter,” Lt-Col Al Heli said.
The girl confessed that she had been using Snapchat to post photos and had lured some followers to send her the phones so that she could speak to her mother.
“She claimed her father had prevented her from meeting her mother for four years and stopped her from going to school this year,” he added.
After the police intervention, the father promised to send his daughter to her mother.
“He has sent the girl to her mother and the case is now with the police for further action,” he added.
Meanwhile, Brigadier Dr Mohammad Al Murr, director of the Human Rights Department at Dubai Police, said the police have come across similar incidents of domestic violence against family members.
“However, parents must monitor their children as they might communicate with strangers and get into problems,” Brigadier Al Murr added.
