A Middle Eastern South Florida resident was arrested Friday for allegedly burning her teenage daughter with a heated knife.
Authorities said 35-year-old Sahar Thabit, who was born in Yemen, was punishing her 17-year-old daughter for befriending and talking to a boy online in defiance of her family, who want her to marry her cousin. She has been charged with three counts of child abuse causing grave bodily harm.
“This was pretty bad, because there were burn marks on both arms,” said Somy Ali, president of No More Tears, a non-profit organization that assists victims of domestic violence. Ali said the victim had three identical burn marks on each forearm.
Hollywood Police said Thabit burned her daughter in early January. Officials at South Broward High School became aware of the victim’s burns when the teenager’s classmate told the assistant principal her parents were furious when they found out about their daughter’s online friendship.
Read more: wsvn.com
