Young girl hospitalized with serious injuries on Crete; mother and partner face child abuse charges

A two-and-a-half-year-old girl has been hospitalized with serious injuries on the southern island of Crete, leading to child abuse and endangerment charges against her mother and her partner.

According to public broadcaster ERT, the case came to light on Friday after neighbors in the Poros neighborhood of Iraklio, the island's capital, made multiple calls to the emergency hotline reporting cries of pain from a house. Responding police officers found the girl with visible injuries to her head and body.

An ambulance rushed the child to the pediatric surgery clinic at Iraklio University Hospital for treatment. Medical examinations revealed not only recent injuries but also older bruises.

The girl's 21-year-old mother and her 23-year-old partner, who are of Palestinian and Syrian descent respectively, were arrested by police. They were unable to explain the child's...