Local sources in Badakhshan reported that on Tuesday, September 28, an orphan child named Mohammad was severely beaten by a mullah in a mosque in the province's fifth district. According to the sources, the child's mother has refrained from filing a complaint or pursuing the case due to fear of potential repercussions.
An eyewitness told Afghanistan International that he personally witnessed the child being beaten and took a photo of the incident. He identified the perpetrator as Mullah Munib-ul-Rahman, who works at the mosque under the Taliban's Directorate of Hajj and Religious Affairs. The child was reportedly beaten by him.
The source added that after the incident, he and several others confronted Mullah Munib-ul-Rahman, who allegedly claimed the child had not committed any offense and then indifferently told the child's mother, "Go and complain wherever you want, it doesn't matter."
In response to the incident, Sami Sadat, former commander of the Afghan Special Forces, stated that in religious schools under Taliban control, children face "fear, pain, and humiliation" instead of education. He warned that violence against children can have long-lasting and irreversible psychological consequences.
Mr. Sadat added, "When an educational center becomes a place of violence, what kind of society are we building?" He stressed that violence against children in religious schools must stop, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.
This is one of several reports of violence against children in religious centers in recent months. Earlier, on September 22, the family of a seven-year-old in Kandahar said their child was beaten with 70 lashes for being late to class. Following public outcry, Taliban's Vice and Virtue officials in Badakhshan have said they are investigating a two-year-old case of child abuse in the Rustaq district of Takhar.
Source: Afghanistan International
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