A Chinese woman named Li has been jailed for six months for mercilessly beating up her nine-year-old adopted son. The reason? The boy did not finish his homework. The mother, has confessed to beating up the boy with aback scratcher and skipping rope for lying.
Both the boy and his biological parents have, however, pleaded mercy for the woman. "I'm not a bad mother. I was just trying to discipline my child," Li said at the trial. She apologised for her misbehaviour and pleaded not guilty.
Legal experts say the case has shed light on the controversial practice of physical punishment as a motivational aid in Chinese families.
The case came to limelight in April after the picture of the boy with whipping marks took the social media by storm.
The boy was the third child of a rural family in Anhui province, according to local media. He was adopted by his aunt in the hope that he could receive a better education in the city.