A young Syrian girl died in Lebanon after she was reportedly beaten by her father, security forces said Tuesday.
The girl aged around six was dead on arrival at a hospital in the northern city of Tripoli in the early hours of Tuesday, the Internal Security Forces (ISF) reported.
"Immediately after news circulated of the girl's death due to being severely beaten by her father... ISF detained him at the hospital," they said in a statement.
"During the interrogation... with the father and his wife... it appeared that they were used to beating the girl," it said.
The coroner found traces of beating on the girl's body, the ISF said in a statement.
In 2014, Lebanon's parliament passed a law to punish domestic violence, but rights advocates have demanded it be reformed to accelerate trials and increase sentences.
Lebanon last month ordered all people to stay at home to stem the spread of coronavirus, which has infected 548 people and killed 19 in the country, according to official figures.
The lockdown has compounded an already dire socioeconomic situation in Lebanon, where a major downturn means 45 percent of the population now live in poverty.
Syrians living in Lebanon after fleeing the nine-year civil war next door face even tougher circumstances, many depending on handouts from aid agencies.
On Sunday, a Syrian refugee, 52, set himself on fire in the Bekaa Valley region due to deteriorating living conditions that led to the incident.
The man has died after being transferred to the Bekaa Hospital, according to The Daily Star.
Lebanon hosts between 1.5 and 2 million Syrians, nearly one million of whom are officially registered as refugees with the United Nations.
On Thursday, a Lebanese man in Sidon also attempted to set himself on fire after receiving a fine he could not afford to pay for violating general mobilization procedures by opening his shop. The police had demanded the closure of his business in accordance with intensified lockdown procedures to curb the outbreak of coronavirus.
Lebanese authorities have introduced "discriminatory restrictions" exclusively targeting Syrian refugees as part of their response to the coronavirus, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused the Lebanese government of pressuring refugees to return to Syria despite the absence of any settlement to end a conflict now in its 10th year.
Zaman Al Wasl with Agencies
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