View of the Emmanuel High School, in Kfar Shima, in the suburbs of Beirut. (Facebook illustration photo/Emmanuel High School)
BEIRUT — Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the sexual abuse of students at a high school in Kfar Shima, in Baabda district. One of the three arrested is the school’s principal.
The sexual abuse allegedly took place at Lycée Emmanuel and involved four staff members, according to reports from the LBCI news channel. The case came to light when the father of a student found a voicemail of a sexual nature sent to her by one of her teachers.
The voicemail was forwarded anonymously to outgoing Minister of Education Abbas Halabi and to Mount Lebanon’s Chief Prosecutor Ghada Aoun, who instructed Judge Nazek Khatib to carry out an investigation.
An initial investigation found that incidents of sexual abuse had been ongoing at the school for three years and that the principal was fully aware of the situation. The channel reports that arrest warrants were issued for the principal, gym teacher, and a custodian — who had previously been arrested for a similar case but was released.
A fourth arrest warrant was issued for a math teacher at the school who, according to information circulating online, remains at large.
An official at the Ministry of Education revealed to L’Orient-Le Jour that an internal investigation had been instigated a few days ago at the Minister’s request. The official was unable to provide any further details. Judicial sources close to the case were not available for contact.
The school claimed in a post on social media that the principal is not one of the suspects, but that he is “only being questioned by the judiciary in his capacity as principal.”
According to the school’s Facebook page, one of the accused teachers was fired two months ago, while the custodian was reportedly dismissed last October. No mention was made of the fourth suspect — the teacher still wanted by authorities.
The school’s administration was unavailable for comment, and a source from within the Internal Security Forces provided no additional information.
Parents have launched a social media campaign defending the principal, insisting on his innocence. One parent described him as “very honest and sincere,” while another suggested, “This is merely an attempt to tarnish the school’s reputation.” A third parent said, "My four children attend this school, which is known for its respect for moral values.”
Kfar Shima’s mayor says the accusations worry residents, some of whom have children enrolled at Lycée Emmanuel. "There are twelve schools in Kfar Shima,” said Wassim Rajji. “So families are beginning to wonder about this kind of behavior in schools in general.”
In early May, the Lebanese judiciary arrested several suspects involved in a pedophile network of nearly 30 people, including a lawyer and a TikTok influencer accused of sexually abusing some 30 children, sometimes using the video-sharing platform to lure their victims.