WASHINGTON – Iraqi couple living in San Antonio, US, beat up and torturedtheir 16-year-old girl who allegedly ran away from her South Texas home toescape forced marriage.

The parents have been charged with attacking Maarib al-Hishmawi forrefusing to marry an older man.

In an interview with Fox News Maarib said that her parents: Abdullah Fahmial-Hishmawi, 34 years old, and his wife Hamdiya Sabah al-Hishmawi, a yearyounger than him, used to beat her with a broomstick sometimes.

The parents allegedly were to receive $20,000 for the arranged wedding.

The teen studied and resided with her parents and five other siblings, ages5 to 15, who were taken with her to a San Antonio body to protect childrenand juveniles from any perilous danger in the province.

The County Sheriff Javier Salazar announced on Friday that the young girlwho was last seen Jan. 30, has been found and placed with Child ProtectiveServices — along with five younger siblings.

The Sherriff said that the parents were arrested over violence charges forallegedly attempting to choke the teen, beating her and pouring hot cookingoil on her.

The San Antonio Express-News reports officials say the family is from Iraqand has been in the US for two years.

The father appeared in late February on the KSAT television screen, tocomplain that local authorities had failed to find his daughter, who wasstill unfound at the time, although the San Antonio police had put effortsto find her.

Al-Hishmawi said he immigrated with his six children just two years agofrom Iraq. He had previously worked as an interpreter for US forces there.

His cruel treatment of his daughter and forcing her to marry for money wasthe main reason for her disappearance.

The teenager agreed to get married for the $ 20,000, according to localtelevision station CW39 in San Antonio, only to get rid of their beatingand mistreatment, but she ran away before the wedding.