"I was married to him for four years while I waited for him to obtain real marriage documents… he used to beat me and my daughter and our three-year-old child," Nariman Kallas, the mother of the abused child, said.
When Kallas filed for divorce, consent was gained only on the condition that Harak retain custody of Kallas’ youngest daughter.
"He asked me to go back to him," said Kallas, but she refused. "So he started sending me pictures and videos of him torturing my daughter. He told me, 'either you come back or I'll kill her.'" Kallas posted the videos to social media where she was able to gather support to subdue Harak.
The video accelerated through the ranks of YouTube viewers so fast that social workers were able to act quickly to rescue the baby. A social-media movement with an Arabic-language hashtag roughly translating to “a mother wants her baby in her embrace,” created a firestorm of outrage, leading to the rescue.
Here is a video of social workers tending to the infant after bringing the child into protective custody.
— عناد بن نمر (@AMMX22) January 11, 2017
It remains to be seen in what way the abuser will be brought to justice.
