A father in southern China has sparked outrage on social media in mainland China after making his three young children kneel in the middle of a busy road in an attempt to force his estranged wife back.
On August 15, police officers from Foshan City, Guangdong Province, discovered the young people while on patrol.
They were all under the age of seven, with the youngest just two years old, according to Southern Metropolis Daily.
A video circulating on social media shows a car passing close to the children as their father sits idly in a roadside flowerbed and watches.
Police quickly moved the children to safety and alerted the father. The children were unharmed.
The viral video shows three young people walking alone along a busy road. Photo: YouTube
Southern Metropolis Daily reported that the 30-year-old father, who gave his name as Lynn, was unable to reach his wife after an argument and so instructed his children to kneel on the road, hoping she would respond.
The wife reportedly decided to separate, returned to her hometown and refused to have any contact with her husband.
The reason for the fight is unclear.
On August 16, Foshan city authorities said that Lin and her three children had left the city and returned to their registered residence, but did not specify where.
The incident has become a hot topic on social media in mainland China, with the post having 63 million views on Weibo at the time of writing.
“It is shameful and hateful that a father doesn't know how to love and care for his child,” wrote one Weibo user.
“Holding children hostage in this way is child abuse and violates their right to personal safety,” another said.
“My father was the same as Lin. When I was little, my mother wanted to divorce my father, but my father refused, locked me at home and tried to force my mother back,” wrote a Weibo user.
Police removed the father from the scene and gave him a warning. Photo: YouTube
In China, minor violations of children's rights can lead to up to five days of detention or a warning.
Extreme parenting practices have been reported across the country.
According to NetEase News, on July 20, a two-year-old boy was hit by a car in southern China after his parents forced him to practice walking across a highway.
In June, a parenting blogger in eastern China put her seven-month-old son on an unsecured climbing net and rolling skateboard, claiming it would stimulate the baby's physical development.
