In addition to being World Jianbing Day today, it is also International Don’t Hit Your Kids Day! Jinri Toutiao, China’s leading news aggregator, is reminding folks to not spank their kids – and calling out these ‘spanking tools’: slippers, feather dusters, hangers, back scratchers, brooms, rulers, belts and of course hands.
Screengrab via Weibo
On Weibo, the holiday’s hashtag #国际不打小孩日# is also accompanied by #不要再打孩子了# which roughly translates to ‘Don’t hit your child anymore.’ It is currently a top trending topic on Weibo, and has been viewed over 460 million times, as of press time. The aim is to promote positive disciplinary methods and children’s basic rights. However, some parents expressed that their children are very naughty and “a slap a day keeps the peace at home.”
This holiday is an important reminder in a time where horrific reports have surfaced of 4-year-old girl who is fighting for her life after enduring horrific abuse at the hands of her father and his girlfriend in Heilongjiang.
Many people have wondered why the holiday hasn’t been advocated for earlier, as there have been many reports of child abuse, especially in childcare settings over the past couple of years.
The reactions on Weibo seemed to be a mixed bag, with one user commenting, “I have to say that children who are beaten by their parents (referring to the kind of petty fight, not the abusive kind) are really mentally healthier. Nowadays, many children don’t say anything at all and end up taking their own lives...” The top comment again affirmed that this was the first time that people have heard of this holiday with over 9,000 likes and of course, many supported the movement adding, “Refuse domestic violence towards children!!!”
What are your thoughts?
[Cover image via @CCTV News/Weibo]
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