Child Dies of Torture in Hodeidah Amid Custody Dispute

A child has died in the city of Hodeidah under suspicious circumstances, with allegations of torture and premeditated murder by his father. The incident occurred amid a dispute over child custody, as the father allegedly sought to prevent the child's handover to his mother following a court order.

Sources close to the family indicated that the child, Qanaaf Ali Al-Qudaimee, from the Al-Bayda neighborhood in Hodeidah, was the subject of intense conflict between his parents regarding custody. The father had reportedly refused to hand over the child to his mother for approximately two months, preempting a court ruling.

On the day the judicial order was to be executed, the mother received a call from the father claiming their son had died two days prior from an alleged drowning in a water bucket at home. The father then reportedly buried the body secretly, without informing the mother at the time.

Activists and media personnel reported that the mother promptly filed an urgent complaint with the relevant authorities upon learning of the incident. This prompted the prosecution to issue an order to exhume the body for examination.

Initial examination of the child's body revealed severe signs of beating and brutal torture across various parts of his body, contradicting the father's account. A formal investigation has been launched to determine the criminal circumstances surrounding the death.

This shocking incident occurs as the governorate and areas under militia control are witnessing a frightening escalation in domestic violence. Specialists and sociologists attribute the rise in such severe family disputes to the unprecedented deterioration of living and economic conditions and the loss of livelihoods resulting from the militia's continued seizure of employee salaries, which has amplified psychological and social pressures on families and created an environment detrimental to family stability, with children being the primary victims.