A child protecting themselves against an attack. (Illustration photo by Envato)
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) said Monday that a man has been arrested in the southern city of Saida for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl over an extended period.
In a statement, the ISF said the case began after the girl’s mother filed a complaint at the Saida neighborhood police station, alleging that her daughter had been harassed by a man in his fifties.
An investigation conducted by the same police station found that the suspect, born in 1977, had been “luring the minor for about a year and a half, taking advantage of the fact that the girl visited his home regularly for private lessons with his wife,” who is her teacher. The ISF added that the man would drive the girl home after lessons and “took advantage of being alone with her to harass her.”
According to the statement, the suspect later began communicating with the girl through WhatsApp, asking her to send explicit photos and exploiting moments when his wife was not present “to assault the child.”
The man was then arrested and referred to Saida's judicial police authorities for questioning, where he confessed to “exploiting the minor, luring her and sexually assaulting her more than once,” the ISF said. He also reportedly threatened her against telling anyone, yet she eventually told her mother.
A forensic medical report confirmed evidence of sexual assault.
“The necessary legal procedures were carried out against the detainee, who was referred to the competent judiciary,” the ISF said.
The security forces urged parents to “closely monitor their children, pay attention to any behavioral changes and maintain open dialogue,” stressing the importance of reporting such cases.
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