Baby tied like a dog, posted on Facebook
Photo shows a section of one of the viral social media photos of a baby tied like a dog. SOCIAL MEDIA SCREENGRAB
Government authorities are already looking into the viral Facebook photos of a baby on a leash and called a “pet” by someone claiming to be the mother.
The three photos were posted on the account of a certain Ayra Dela Cruz Francisco.
In the pictures is a naked child tied with a straw-like leash while crawling on the floor. There was also a blue dog food bowl with food.
The caption says “Bago ko nga plang alagang aso haha … lakas ng tama ng anak ko sunod sunuran naman #dami kong tawa dito grabe.” (Meet our new pet dog … my child’s crazy … does whatever he’s told #makes me laugh so much)
The photo has over 30,000 shares on Facebook. It was also widely shared on Twitter. Francisco has already deactivated her account but several hate pages were created under her name.
READ: Child abuse in South Korea nursery caught on video
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started an investigation on the matter.
“Walang karapatan kahit sino na gawin yon,” (No one has the right to do that) DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman said in a television interview.
She said it was a clear case of child abuse.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the DSWD and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) were coordinating on the issue.
Calling the photos “heart wrenching” de Lima said “if proven authentic, then we are looking at a case of gross child abuse which is punishable under RA 7610 (Anti-Child Abuse Law),” de Lima said in a text message.
The NBI Cyber Crime Division (CCD) is already conducting an investigation.
“The NBI Cyber Crime Division is now working on said incident,” NBI Director Virgilio Mendez said in a text message.
According to the Commission Human Rights (CHR), the viral photo and the caption “show a worse form of child abuse.”
Lawyer Marc Titus Cebreros, CHR executive director, called on the DSWD to “expedite” its effort to locate and identify the perpetrator.
“We call on the DSWD to expedite its effort to locate and identity the concerned child and his/her parents or relatives so that appropriate interventions can be implemented,” Cebreros said in a statement to INQUIRER.net
He urged individuals who have information on the case “to come forward and cooperate with the DSWD and CHR.
“The Convention on the Rights of the Child to which we are a signatory as well as our local laws all point to the State’s obligation to protect children from all forms of abuses and human rights violations. In this light we shall be actively monitoring this case,” he said.
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