A video of three men in Lebanon sexually assaulting a Syrian child who is estimated to be under the age of 13 has gone viral on social media, infuriating the local population.
The video showed the three young men kidnapping the child, beating him, and forcing him to engage in sexual acts with them, with rumours accusing the trio of raping the child.
He is seen trying to escape the abuse several times in the video.
According to Lebanese media, the child is of Syrian nationality and the incident occurred in the town of Sohmor, Western Bekaa.
One of the men was identified on social media and was forced to deactivate his Facebook after his profile was circulated, with reports confirming a number of threats made against him.
A lawsuit was also filed against the identified perpetrator.
Twitter users demanded the most severe punishment for the three young men, with some even suggesting the death penalty on them.
Lebanese authorities have yet to comment on the video.
Lebanon, a small country of 4.5 million people, says it hosts 1.5 million Syrians, including nearly a million refugees registered with the United Nations.
They are frequently subjected to harrasment and detention by Lebanese security forces on various pretexts and suffer harsh living conditions.
Lebanese authorities have recently placed increasing pressure on Syrians in the country to return to Syria, saying that it is safe for them to do so.
The United Nations has consistently warned that conditions in the war-ravaged country are not suitable for such returns.
There have been reports of returning refugees being detained, conscripted into the army, or even killed by Assad regime forces in Syria.
The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
