Dad's sick punishment after daughter 'stays out late'
WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: Video of a father beating his daughter in the street has prompted widespread concern in China after the clip went viral.
The disturbing incident occurred in Zijin County, in the Chinese province of Guangdong, on Sunday and shows the father pull his teenage daughter by the hair and slap her in the face.
She can be heard screaming in distress on the ground as he pulls at her clothing and stunned bystanders watch on.
The shocking incident was sparked by the daughter reportedly failing to return home from the night before, with the father running into his daughter in the street the following day.
The video has been viewed millions of times on Chinese Twitter-like site Weibo and prompted a wave of anger online from users with many calling for tighter laws surrounding domestic violence.
“No matter what the girl has done his response is far too extreme,” one person said.
“You can’t be treated like that,” another wrote.
“Such incompetent parenting,” one comment read.
After the incident went viral, authorities began investigations into the matter with the Communist Youth League and the Provincial Committee handling the incident, the Guangzhou Daily reported.
The girl’s father has been educated on the legal system surrounding domestic abuse, while psychological counselling has been provided to the family.
Abuse incident under investigation
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, with authorities to determine the severity of the matter and whether legal action is needed.
While there are laws protecting children from domestic abuse in China, parents physically disciplining children is widely accepted and rarely punished.
Global children’s charity UNICEF calls for the strengthening of child protection laws and policies, and wants children to be encouraged to report violence.
“Although child maltreatment is prohibited under the law, the laws and policies lack practical enforcement measures, leading to varying interpretations and practices, with most children who experience violence not receiving the appropriate response they need and are entitled to,” it says.
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