The 6-year-old jumped from an external air conditioning unit. (Representational Pic)
A distressing incident in China, where a young boy jumped from a fifth-floor apartment to escape his abusive mother, has sparked widespread public outrage on social media and need for stronger child protection laws in the country. According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the incident took place on June 25 in Anhui province in eastern China. The six-year-old jumped from an external air conditioning unit in a residential building after being beaten by a stick inside the house, the outlet further said.
The person recording the video and other people in the neighbourhood are heard pleading the person not to hit the boy. But before any result, the boy suddenly jumps.
The clip has been viewed more than 10 million times on Weibo, a popular social media site in China, according to the SCMP report.
The boy was rushed to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He, however, suffered several bone fractures.
The police later said in a Weibo post that the mother hit the boy to "persuade" him to go back inside, out of concern that he might fall.
A member of All-China Women Federation said the mother was "bluffing" with the stick, as per the outlet.
These explanations added to the fury online. While some users were in disbelief, others call the official versions a "cover-up".
"He was more afraid of his mother than jumping," one Weibo user commented, as per SCMP. "People were already screaming 'stop hitting him' downstairs, and the mother still didn't stop. I don't understand," said another.
The outlet released just the boy's surname - Yan - and said his father works in another city and he lives with his mother.