Woman Burns 9-Year-Old Adopted Daughter's Genitals As Punishment For Wetting Her Bed

A woman has been charged in India for burning the genitals of her 9-year-old adopted daughter as punishment for wetting her bed.

The 40-year-old woman, a close relative of the girl who decided to adopt her, is facing multiple charges, including abuse, manhandling, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means and threatening in connection with the incident that took place in Madhya Pradesh, a state in Central India, Times of India reported.

Authorities said the woman set fire to the child's private parts for wedding her bed at night. The girl then suffered major burns to her genitals. Some of the kid's hair from the head was also uprooted, and there were marks of injury caused by nails on her body, Pallavi Porwal, president of the Child Welfare Committee, told the outlet.

"Looking at the child's condition, it appears that the woman who adopted her has a perverted mentality, as she crossed all limits of cruelty," Porwal added.

Portal also disclosed that police already filed a case under lesser serious sections against the accused and they have to incorporate pertinent Protection of Child under Sexual Offences Act provisions into the investigation.

As for the victim, she is currently undergoing treatment. Her testimony is reportedly being recorded.

Child abuse remains a huge problem in India. In an October 2021 report, Firstpost noted that 350 crimes against children were logged each day in India in the year 2020 alone. The same report said the crimes against children in the country rose by 381% in the last decade (2010-2020).

In a similar incident, a woman was arrested in India in October 2021 for dipping an 11-year-old neighbor's hand in boiling oil. Police said the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, saw the suspect, identified as Lakhi Makwana, talking to an unknown man outside their home. Makwana later found out that the girl knew her secret and confronted her. The girl denied Makwana's allegation, but she asked the child to get inside her house and dip her hands in a pan of hot oil to prove her innocence. Although the victim tried to run, the suspect forcefully grabbed her hand and dipped it in boiling oil.