In the Netherlands, a 39-year-old woman was charged with child abuse for trying to expel an evil spirit from her son. It is reported by BBC News.
The woman, seeking to "cleanse" her nine-year-old child, performed a kind of exorcism ritual, thrusting his hands into a hot oven. The mother also inserted cotton wool into her son's ears, which ultimately impaired his hearing. The boy was taken away from her in 2016.
The woman's lawyer insists that she cannot be found guilty because she considered her actions beneficial to the child. “Abuse means that you are deliberately hurting someone, but in this case you are not,” he said.
As noted, the woman is of Dutch-Moroccan descent. According to a study by the Dutch mental health organization GGZ, 60 to 80 percent of Muslims in the country believe that any mental health problems in people are caused by demons, writes BBC News. At the same time, this case is considered the first of its kind in the Netherlands. Preliminary hearings on the case will be held in the city of Roermond.
Earlier in January, a resident of Australia was charged with the murder of two of her children and the bullying of another daughter. Police initially believed that the woman's daughter and son had committed suicide. During the investigation, it was established that their mother deliberately took their lives in order to receive insurance benefits.
