Egypt: Teenager kills father for insulting mum in public

Abu Dhabi: An Egyptian teenager killed his 40-year-old father in a fit of rage by hitting him on the head with a stick after he called his mum names in public, local media reported.

“I killed him by hitting him with a cane on his head,” the 17-year-old boy reportedly said after deliberately murdering his father. The incident happened in the village of Mousa Mosque in Atfih city, south of Giza.

The accused, Ahmed, stated firmly before the Al Saf Prosecution Office, headed by Mohamed Salah Al Shalqami, that he lived with his mother after her divorce from his father, Eid, and on the day of the crime he was visiting his father, who did not stop insulting him and his mother in obscene words.

As soon as the victim saw his son, he insulted him, repeating, “She told you: Come, see your father.”

Ahmed said he could not bear the insults to his mother in front of the family and strangers, and told his father he should not offend mum in front of the people.

The father did not respond, and continued to swear, according to the accused.

The people of the small village gathered and informed the police of the killing of a farmer. Security services intensified their efforts and arrested the accused, whom the prosecution decided to imprison for four days pending investigations. A judge later extended his remand for 15 days.

According to Egypt Demographic and Health Survey 2014, almost 80 per cent of married male respondents admitted to having inflicted violence on their wives, while 28 per cent admitted that they were physically abusive. In the previous year, 50 per cent of the surveyed women reported experiencing some form of violence, while 16 per cent were physically abused.

Experts say domestic violence can have harmful consequences for children who witness it in terms of their emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development, explained as an intergenerational cycle of violence.

Accordingly, it is demonstrated that children who were exposed to violence in their families of origin are more likely to become involved in violent relationships as adults.