The parents of a teenage girl from Texas were arrested last Friday for allegedly pouring hot cooking oil on her after she refused to an arranged marriage, police said.
Abdullah Fahmi Al Hishmawi, 34, and his wife Hamdiyah Saha Al Hishmawi, 33, are accused of physically abusing their daughter, Maarib Al Hishmawi, 16, who was reported missing on Tuesday 30 January.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said: “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.”
Maarib’s parents chocked her until she became unconscious and beat her with broomsticks, as well as pouring hot oil on her because she did not want to get married, he added.
She was found safe earlier this month after being taken in by a child welfare organisation.
The teenager was placed in Child Protective Services with her five siblings, the sheriff said.
It is not clear whether he siblings were also physically abused.
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Discussions about Maarib’s marriage started last year when she was 15.
She was set to marry a man in another city in exchange for $20,000 (£14,200), Sheriff Salazar said.
The family moved to the United States from Iraq in 2016, according to KSAT-TV.
Maarib’s parents currently face charges of continuous family violence.
The man Maarib was due to marry could also face criminal charges.
The FBI is currently investigating the case.
