BEIJING (SCMP): A father in China faced heated online debate after posting a video of his crying daughter, who had been bullied at school, to the point of suffering a bleeding mouth.
Despite his daughter’s distress, the man declared he would not hold the bullies accountable.
The father, from a county in central China’s Shanxi province, shared the emotional video of his six-year-old daughter on his Douyin account, @huodarensheng.
In the video, she expressed her desire to “quit school” after being cornered by a group of classmates. A hospital examination confirmed that she had lost a front tooth.
Reacting with unusual calmness, the father deleted the initial video shortly before posting a follow-up on Oct 16.
In this new video, he stated that the school and “relevant departments” had promptly addressed the situation, noting that the seven bullies and their parents had apologised to his daughter.
He chose not to hold the school responsible, asserting that “it was mainly the parents who should be accountable for their children’s education”.
Additionally, he decided against seeking compensation from the parents.
While he did not elaborate on his reasoning, he pointed out that his family lived in a small county with just 210,000 residents, implying that making enemies in a relationship-driven society can be unwise.
He also noted that the law does not hold children aged seven to eight criminally responsible, deeming it “meaningless” to pursue the matter further.
In China, the age of criminal responsibility is set at 16 years, with minors over 12 held criminally accountable only for serious offences like intentional homicide or injury, subject to approval by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
Neither the school nor the local government has publicly responded to the incident.
The father stated his intention to allow his daughter to continue in the same school and class.
On Oct 17, he released another video in which he asked his daughter if she wanted to transfer to a different class or school; she firmly replied “no,” expressing her reluctance to attend an “unfamiliar” school.
He remarked that his daughter is “strong-minded and capable of making her own decisions”.
Online observers criticised the father for being “too calm, like a stranger”, and disapproved of his handling of the situation.
One commenter on Douyin stated: “You did not fulfil your responsibility as a father and did not protect your daughter.”
Another added: “Poor girl to have a father who does not stand up for her. The bullies will only target her more if there are no consequences.”
Research conducted by students at Shanghai International Studies University highlighted a significant lack of official statistics on school violence in China.
A 2018 study by researchers at Southwest University found that over half of students in rural areas – which typically experience less economic development and educational resources – reported having experienced bullying.
Many victims have shared online that they still endure trauma from such experiences, often leading to low self-esteem.
However, public legal documents indicate that victims are more inclined to seek compensation for physical injuries while struggling to achieve justice for the mental anguish inflicted by school violence. - South China Morning Post
