A father in southern China made his three young children kneel in the middle of a busy road in a bid to force the return of his estranged wife, sparking outrage on mainland social media.
On August 15, a police officer in Foshan, Guangdong province, discovered the youngsters during a patrol.
They were all under the age of seven, the youngest being only two years old, according to Southern Metropolis Daily.
Videos circulating on social media show vehicles passing close to them while their father sits in a roadside flower bed, watching passively.
Police quickly moved the youngsters to a safe area and issued a warning to the father. The children were unharmed.
Southern Metropolis Daily reported that the 30-year-old father, identified as Ling, said he was unable to contact his wife after an argument so he told their children to kneel in the road thinking it would make her respond.
His wife had reportedly returned to her hometown after deciding she wanted a separation, and refused to have any contact with him.
The reason for the quarrel is unclear.
On August 16, Foshan city government officials said that Ling and his three children had left the city and returned to their registered residence, not mentioning the specific location.
The incident has become a hot topic on mainland social media, with 63 million views on Weibo at the time of writing.
“It’s shameful and hateful that a father does not know how to love and take care of his children,” one Weibo user wrote.
“Using children as hostages like this is child abuse and violates the children’s right to personal safety,” said another.
“My father was the same as Ling. When I was young, my mother wanted to divorce him, he refused and locked me in the house in an attempt to coerce her back,” a Weibo user wrote.
In China, minor infringements on children’s rights can result in up to five days of detention or a warning.
There have been other reports of extreme parenting practices across the country.
On July 20, a two-year-old boy in southern China was struck by a car after his parents made him practise walking by crossing a motorway, according to NetEase News.
In June, a parenting blogger from eastern China put his seven-month-old son in an unprotected climbing net and on a rolling skateboard, saying it would enhance the baby’s physical development.
