The "Village of Love and Peace" association has committed numerous violations against minors, and its members have been involved in human trafficking, sexual assault, and exploitation. On Friday, the single penal judge in Baabda, Joel Abu Haidar, who oversees cases of juvenile delinquency and at-risk youth in Mount Lebanon, issued a decision to close the "Village of Love and Peace" association in Metn due to the violations committed against the children and minors in its care. The association was sealed with red wax, all its residents were evacuated, and the case was referred to the public prosecutor for appeals in Mount Lebanon, Judge Samer Lisha.
The name of the association's president, Norma Said, has emerged in the case, along with member of the Syriac Federation, Gibran Kalli, on charges of sexual harassment, and the mayor of the town of Al-Hilaliyeh (Saida District), Joe Sleiba, on charges of selling children. The juvenile court's decision stated that "the association is affiliated with the Orthodox Syriac Archdiocese, and there are several suspicions about its collaboration with fake associations to obtain financial donations, and the matter is under investigation by the Judicial Detachment in Al-Jdeideh."
It is still unclear how the association was exposed and the duration over which the children and minors were subjected to abuse, noting that just two weeks ago, a video surfaced showing children experiencing brutal treatment by a caregiver in a nursery in Metn. Who is responsible for protecting children from abuses? Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hijar stated in a press interview, "This is our responsibility and we do not evade it, but in order to assume it, it is necessary to amend the laws to subject all associations specialized in the caretaking and social field to our oversight and supervision, as the law in its current form limits our authority to the institutions with which we have contracts."
