SHANGHAI: A woman in China stopped her car on an expressway to beat her young child because she could not bear his bad behaviour after he threatened to jump out of the vehicle.
A video clip of the incident in Zhengzhou in central Henan province in mid-February trended on social media, and sparked a heated online debate about parenting.
The irritated mother, surnamed Zhang, was filmed stopping her car on the emergency lane of an expressway before forcing her son out of the car in an effort to “educate” him, according to a report by Hangzhou Daily.
A viral video shows the woman whipping her son with the branch of a tree while gripping his coat to stop him from running away.
The boy, who is thought to be about eight years old, is heard crying as his mother lashes him.
It is unclear who filmed the video.
Zhang said she became angry because her son did not want to make the trip back home in the car.
The boy started to make a noisy protest and threatened to jump out of the vehicle.
“I found verbal education did not work. His actions were affecting my ability to drive safely,” Zhang was quoted as saying.
“I knew I would be fined for stopping the car on the freeway. But I could not stand him any longer. I needed to teach him a lesson immediately,” she added.
China’s Road Safety Regulations stipulate that people whose vehicles occupy the emergency lane of a freeway in non-emergency circumstances will face a 200 yuan (US$27) fine and a nine-point deduction from their licence.
Zhang said her domestic rules were that when a parent is educating their child, other adults in the family cannot intervene.
That was why the other person in the car who filmed the incident did not intervene.
On Feb 18, Zhang released a video on social media in which her son acknowledged his mistake.
“I realise that it is quite dangerous to jump out of the car on an expressway. It was wrong. I hope other children will not learn from me,” said the unidentified boy.
The incident was viewed five million times on a leading social media platform.
“At first I thought the mother was unstable. But after learning the details of the incident, I support her,” said one netizen.
But another online observer said: “It is still dangerous to beat a child on the road. What if he ran into the middle of the road? It is better to hit him after you get home.” - South China Morning Post
