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Lebanese boy kicks mother in the face on talk show

The scene of a teenage boy kicking his mother in the face on live television shines a spotlight on the serious issue of domestic abuse in the country.

By Aileen Graef

BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 7 (UPI) -- A Lebanese teenager kicked his mother in the face on a live television talk show that aims to sort out problems between family members.

The boy, who hadn't seen his mother in seven years, initially refused to talk to her, but after coaxing from the show, he complied. His mother proceeded to call him a drunk after a long argument, and that is when he vaulted over a table and kicked her face. People on the show moved to restrain him. Still, the incident raised a very serious issue in the country regarding domestic abuse.

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A law to combat domestic violence was passed in Lebanon. However, women's rights groups say the law doesn't do enough to protect women, as it only specifies violence against the family, and a key amendment was removed that criminalized marital rape.

Human Rights Watch reported last week, "A domestic violence hotline run by a local, non-governmental organization, KAFA receives more than 2,600 reports of domestic abuse per year. the organization said it had reports of 25 killings of women by a family member in Lebanon between 2010 and 2013."

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