The parents of a 16-year-old Texas girl were arrested Friday for allegedly pouring hot cooking oil on her body after she refused an arranged marriage, authorities said.
Abdulah Fahmi Al Hishmawi, 34, and Hamdiyah Saha Al Hishmawi, 33, are accused of physically abusing their daughter, Maarib Al Hishmawi, who has been reported missing since Jan. 30.
“The only way that this young lady could bring an end to this abuse was to verbally agree to become a party to this marriage,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Friday.
Maarib’s parents beat her with broomsticks, choked her until she was unconscious, and poured hot oil on her because she did not want to get married, he added.
She was found safe in mid-March after being taken in by an organization. The teen was placed in Child Protective Services with her five siblings, the sheriff said. It wasn’t clear if her siblings were also abused.
Talks about the arranged marriage started last year. Maarib, who was 15 at the time, was set to marry a man in another city in exchange for $20,000, Salazar said.
The family moved to the United States from Iraq two years ago, according to KSAT-TV.
Maarib’s parents face charges of continuous family violence. The man Maarib was supposed to marry could also face charges. The FBI is investigating the case.
