The accused businessman, Mohamed Al-Amin, denied in front of the opposition judge the charge of assaulting girls from the orphanage he owns in Beni Suef. Al-Amin told the judge during a session to renew his detention: "I fear God Almighty regarding the girls in the orphanage. The orphanage has been operating for two years, and I have never sinned in my life nor have I done anything wrong. I treat them like my own sons, both older and younger." He continued: "I welcomed them into my home and let them live with my wife and children, giving them the best life just like my own daughters. God knows that I have regarded Him in every small and large matter regarding them, and I have not wronged them at all." Al-Amin went on, weeping: "I hoped to end my life with this orphanage and meet my Lord through it."
Rami Al-Jabali, the founder of the Missing Children page on Facebook and a witness in the case of businessman Mohamed Al-Amin, revealed details of the girls' testimonies about the businessman’s assaults on them through forceful sexual harassment, following the public prosecutor's decision to detain him pending investigations. Al-Jabali said: "The 'Safe Hands' orphanage, owned by Mohamed Al-Amin, has only been closed for about 4 days, despite the Minister of Social Solidarity’s announcement to close it since November 25, 2021. Therefore, all complicit parties in failing to execute the order should be punished, confronting corruption."
He added: "One of the girls, who is not yet 14 years old, testified about being sexually assaulted. She said that when Mohamed Al-Amin found her crying due to what he was doing to her, he brought a marriage contract and asked her to sign it, declaring that she would be his wife." He continued: "The three girls who were sexually assaulted revealed that Mohamed Al-Amin would punish those who annoyed him with prayers. On nights when he held gatherings in his room at the orphanage, he would summon them to dance for him at night, and sometimes he would awaken one of them for inappropriate acts."
He elaborated: "The orphanage housed about 18 girls of various ages, and medical examinations of the younger children revealed that 6 of them suffered from involuntary urination and defecation due to the sexual assaults they experienced." Al-Jabali added: "In my view, this orphanage was established to sexually exploit the girls, according to the accounts of the girls of different ages, as well as their medical reports following examinations which confirmed they suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. The victimized girls were transferred to an orphanage in Banha, Qalyubia Governorate."
He continued: "The orphanage has numerous violations since its establishment, as the Ministry of Social Solidarity issued a decision in 2017 to stop granting licenses for orphanages due to the state's shift to alternative family systems. Nevertheless, some ministry employees circumvented this decision and established it under the guise of a shelter, transferring several orphaned girls there in violation of the law. Furthermore, the orphanage's license is dated 2021. Official documents show that girls were transferred to the orphanage in 2020 via the Ministry of Social Solidarity."
The public prosecutor ordered the detention of the accused, Mohamed Al-Amin, pending investigations for allegedly trafficking in human beings by dealing with natural persons; specifically, the victimized girls from his orphanage in Beni Suef, using their vulnerability to sexually assault them, inciting others to commit this crime, as well as assaulting them through force and threats while having authority over them, thereby putting them in danger.
