Parents of students at a private school in Lebanon have raised alarm on social media after more than a dozen children were reportedly subjected to group sexual abuse during a school outing to a newly opened outdoor adventure park in the Metn area.

According to parents’ accounts, over 15 children were allegedly assaulted while participating in a zipline activity by an employee identified only as R.H. Reports indicate the man exploited the moment when children were being harnessed for the zipline, making resistance difficult, to carry out the abuse.

The disturbing allegations have sparked outrage and concern among families, turning the incident into a public issue. The school administration is reportedly investigating the case thoroughly to determine who failed to protect the children during the trip. The victims are now under the care of Himaya, a Lebanese child protection NGO, which is also examining whether other children on the trip were similarly affected.

Parents have urged security forces to launch an immediate investigation and hold accountable all those involved in this serious violation. The accused perpetrator has been detained at the Brummana police station and is currently under interrogation.

The incident has also raised calls from parents for tighter oversight of children’s recreational venues and increased scrutiny of employees’ conduct in such places to prevent similar traumatic events in the future.

In an official statement, Collège Des Saints-Coeurs in Ain Najm, the school involved, said:

“During a recreational trip organized on May 20, 2025, for first-grade students to VeréBleu Park, several children were subjected to disturbing and inappropriate conduct by a zipline instructor. Upon being informed, the school promptly took legal action and has been supporting the children and their families, both psychologically and educationally, to help them recover from this painful incident.

The school immediately reported the matter to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. The Ministry has initiated formal protection procedures, notifying the Juvenile Protection Directorate at the Ministry of Justice and filing an official complaint against the individual identified in the investigation. The Ministry continues to coordinate with the school’s administration through its technical and administrative units to monitor the investigation and implement a comprehensive plan to support the affected children and their families.

We strongly condemn this deplorable act and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the safety and dignity of our students. We pray for the protection of our children and the strength to overcome this hardship.”

The Ministry of Social Affairs strongly condemned the incident, pledging full coordination with judicial and security bodies to ensure accountability.

In an official statement, the ministry described what happened as “a grave violation of children’s rights and of their physical and psychological safety,” and “a flagrant breach of the moral and legal standards that govern their protection, especially in spaces dedicated to education and recreation.”

The ministry emphasized that it is closely monitoring the case in cooperation with the relevant judicial authorities, particularly the Ministry of Justice, to ensure that the necessary legal measures are taken and that all individuals proven to be involved are held accountable.

It also urged citizens to report any similar incidents through the ministry’s official channels.

Later, the Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced that on May 20, two parents filed complaints at the Brummana police station alleging that their underage daughters had been sexually harassed by an unidentified individual during a school outing at an open-air sports facility in Mansourieh.

Following investigations, including the review of surveillance footage from the venue, police identified three suspects. Further inquiries, conducted in coordination with the facility’s management, led to the identification and same-day arrest of the main suspect.

The suspect, identified by his initials R.H., is a 16-year-old Lebanese national who had recently been hired by the venue.

During interrogation in the presence of a juvenile protection officer, the minor initially denied involvement but later confessed to sexually harassing multiple girls while they were using a zipline at the play center.

The ISF said legal procedures were carried out and the suspect was referred to the relevant authorities for further investigation, based on a directive from the competent judiciary.

The security agency also praised the courage of the parents who filed the complaint and called on the public to immediately report any similar incidents, stressing the importance of preventing future cases and protecting potential victims.