Khaberni - A circulating video has sparked widespread outrage on social media in China, after a mother in Shanghai forced her daughter to crawl on her knees inside a residential complex, late on a cold night, and refused the intervention of passersby who tried to stop what they considered a clear abuse of the child.
According to testimonies reported by the "South China Morning Post," the incident occurred around 9 p.m. on January 6 inside the residential complex where the family lives.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that the mother, whose identity was not disclosed, scolded anyone who tried to intervene, considering what she was doing as an "educational method".
A witness named "Xu" said that the girl stopped crawling and stood up as soon as she reached the gate of the complex, noting that the mother justified her behavior by the psychological pressures the family was facing due to accumulated debts after buying an expensive apartment, with the aim of enrolling her daughter in a better school.
In Shanghai, as in other major Chinese cities, acceptance in elementary and middle schools is linked to the residential address within the school's district, prompting many families to buy expensive homes to ensure a better education for their children, which poses an increasing financial and psychological burden.
During the incident, a passerby was heard confronting the mother, saying that her personal problems should not be imposed on the child.
Following the incident, the witness informed the media outlets of the "Shanghai Media Group," which in turn notified the child's school.
Reports stated that the school's psychological counselor spoke with the mother, who initially defended her educational method, before later promising not to resort to "extreme educational measures" in the future, and the local neighborhood committee was notified, confirming that its staff would follow up on the family's situation.
For her part, "Xiao Ying," a physician at the "Shanghai Center for Mental Health," described what happened as a form of physical and emotional abuse, emphasizing the need for urgent assessment of the child's psychological state, and warned that public humiliation could lead the child to feel "unworthy of love," potentially leading to the development of feelings of anger, anxiety, and depression.
The physician also warned that children who are subjected to abuse may reproduce this behavior towards their parents in the future, stressing that children's obedience should not be taken for granted but rather their responses should be valued despite what they endure.
On the other hand, a local lawyer said that the mother's action could fall under the "Domestic Violence Prevention" laws enforced in China, noting that the law does not distinguish between violence at home or in public places.
On social media, users expressed their anger, with one writing: "She treated her daughter as if she were private property and not an independent human being," while another said: "The mother herself needs psychological treatment."
And a third comment added: "It's absurd to punish children for their academic performance... If you couldn't get into a prestigious university, why burden your children with this?"
