THE family of a missing three-year-old has been tormented by neighbours and blamed for the child's disappearance.
A family member claims that some residents have taunted them after the Royal Family stepped in and ordered their dilapidated home to be rebuilt in a bid to ease their heartache.
The grief-stricken family is now living in temporary accommodation but an empty bed awaits a little boy lost but not forgotten.
Three-year-old Bader Jawad Hussain Mubarak has been missing since July 10, 2007. Despite an extensive search by his family who live in Samaheej and the Interior Ministry he has not been found.
Bader disappeared after last being spotted playing outside his house and his mother Sakeena Kanan Ali Al Mulla told GulfWeekly how desperate she is to see her son again.
"He used to come to me and say 'Mother, I love you' every day, and now I can't hear his voice again.
"I can't sleep, rest, eat or have peace of mind. I mean, how can I? How can I sleep when I don't know where my son is?"
"It is very hard to lose a child but it is even harder if you don't know if your child is alive or dead."
But Mrs Al Mulla said that her heart tells her that her son is alive.
"When I go to my bedroom at night I look at his bed which is next to mine and wonder what happened to him. I cry when I see his slippers, his clothes, the toys he played with, the television programmes he liked," she said.
"I don't know how to live my life anymore, I am trying my best for the sake of my other children, but really I feel that I can't function like a normal person.
"I miss Bader terribly; I just pray to God that he is safe wherever he is. I am still hoping that he is alive, that someone has kidnapped him and kept him alive."