CAIRO: The case of a four-year-old girl tortured to death by her grandmother has triggered widespread anger in Egypt.
Reports said Jana, who lived in a village in Mansoura province, died on Saturday, days after she was admitted to hospital with severe burns.
The case has sparked outcry and drawn attention to the levels of child abuse in Egypt.
The police report said Jana was tortured using an iron “by her maternal grandmother” who inflicted burns on her body that led to blood poisoning, a severe drop in blood circulation and collapse of her respiratory systems, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported.
Her injuries were so severe that her leg had to be amputated three days before her death.The girl’s aunt claimed in police investigations that Jana told her that the grandmother had burnt her around the genitalia.
The grandmother, now in police custody, denies the allegations, the reports said.
Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, said he had been deeply hurt to hear of the “brutal crime committed against the innocent girl Jana."
"What she experienced from torture and burning is a humanitarian disaster by all means."
In response, Al-Azhar, the top Sunni Muslim authority, is launching a campaign on Monday against child abuse and domestic violence. The awareness campaign aims to revive the importance of kindness towards children.
