Child seen crying inside cage leads Chinese authorities to investigate parents

INQUIRER.net stock photo

A video of a toddler crying inside a cage, which surfaced on social media, has prompted Chinese authorities to launch an investigation on the child’s parents.

Apart from the video, images of the 22-month-old girl were shared online and seemingly showed her to have multiple bruises, as per South China Morning Post on April 20. Another photo showed an unidentified man placing his shoe on her face.

The girl, whose parents divorced last 2018, had been living with her father. He admitted to authorities that he set up the photos and video to make his ex-wife angry, as per report.

The images and video drew flak and criticism from Chinese netizens. Some said the girl’s father is not worthy to be a father, while another surmised he may have a psychological illness.

The girl has since been taken from her father and underwent a medical examination. She sustained no injuries from the incident.

Meanwhile, the All China Women’s Federation’s media arm China Women’s News denounced the incident on their official account on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo.

“Children are not parents’ private property and families are not in a blind spot where the rules don’t apply,” the federation said.

“Moral education and persuasion cannot deter people, only a higher price for breaking the law can protect children,” the group added. “If parents abuse children or use violence against them, they must be punished according to the law.” Cody Cepeda/JB

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