Story By: Angjela Trajkovska, Sub Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: CEN
Video Credit: CEN
This is the moment a young women beats her hysterical toddler nephew with her hand and then her shoe until bystanders intervene.
And incredibly, when the child’s mother was made aware of what had happened, she apparently supported the beating and said the aunt had been given permission to discipline the toddler this way.
The incident was filmed by a CCTV camera in front of the council building in the district of Fontibon in the central Colombian capital Bogota and shared on social media.
Pictures Credit: CEN
In the video, a young woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, is seen repeatedly slapping the boy’s face as they approach the main building.
She then drags her crying nephew down the steps and starts hitting him before sitting him roughly on a wall.
As the tot continues to cry, the aunt removes a shoe and repeatedly strikes the boy’s legs.
After a while, a woman runs out of the building with a colleague and tries to take the boy several times, but the aunt then walks away.
According to local media, the mayor of Fontibon, Johanna Bocanegra, asked for the police to intervene and the youngster was taken to a clinic to be checked over.
She said: “I was in my office when I heard the screams of a young boy who could not stop crying.”
After the incident, the boy’s mother reportedly told the authorities that the aunt is allowed to reprimand him like that.
Meanwhile, the case has already been referred to the Colombian Family Welfare Institute for review.
At the moment, the boy is living with his mother under police supervision, according to local media.
This is not abuse. The shoe was a thin canvas shoe and it was on the legs. She didn’t pummel the child with her hands she spanked him on his butt. Yes she slapped his face once and I’m not a fan of that but even that slap wasn’t over the top. I am one hundred percent against child abuse but to call what is happening in this video abuse is an insult to the children actually suffering from actual abuse. This is an obvious case of a child that throws tantrums and a family who believes in an old school way of punishing their kids. I do not spank my kids but I certainly was spanked and even had a switch used on me once or twice and my parents are the most loving and wonderful parents. I was out raged by the woman in the video trying to kidnap and abduct the child. The only reason everyone like child welfare and police are involved is because they probably feel pressured by the the over reaction of the public to this. It’s sad because there are actual cases of real abused children out there in desperate need of help and time and resources are being wasted on this.