Outrage after mum posts photos of child on leash
A Filipino woman incurred the wrath of netizens when she posted photos of her child on a leash on Facebook.
The photos, which were uploaded to her now deleted Facebook account, show a naked boy with a leash around his neck crawling next to a bowl of dog food.
ABS CBN News reported that the child is only one and a half years old.
According to Philippine newspaper Inquirer, the shocking photos were accompanied by a caption which read: “Bago ko nga palang alagang aso haha. Lakas ng tama ng anak ko sunod sunuran naman, dami kong tawa dito grabe (My new pet dog. My child’s stoned to death he follows everything I told him. Got so many laughs here).”
The disturbing photos also prompted local authorities to take action against the woman.
After locating her, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) took the woman into custody and arranged for her son to undergo a medical examination.
He was later sent to a center for children and youth.
Bad joke
Although the photos point towards child abuse, the woman apparently intended for them to be taken lightly and did not foresee any backlash from Facebook users.
“Her child and a cousin were playing in an area where there were many animals, as if they were mimicking animals. The mother photographed her son seemingly in jest,” said Marilyn Tigas, head of the DSWD's provincial office in Bataan, the Philippines.
But social welfare secretary Corazon Soliman said that even so, the actions were "in bad taste".
“The child does not know that it is just a joke," she added.
The mother could face repercussions for breaking the Philippines' laws against child abuse.
“No one has the right to treat a child like a toy. Whoever does this can be punished under the law,” Soliman said about the woman's treatment of her son.
The woman, who has apologised for what she did, will now undergo counselling and the DSWD will determine if she is fit to take care of her son.
Sources: Inquirer, ABS CBN News, GMA News
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