Boy in Chains to Keep Him Safe

UPDATE: An interesting discussion about this article has opened up on the UK Times Online's Alpha Mummy blog.

"The picture of the little Chinese boy chained to a post while his father worked has been everywhere today. And at first it is a bit shocking. I don't want to go all Sue Sylvester from Glee on this, but actually as the story unfolds, it begins to seem a not-so-unreasonable childcare solution." ... To read more or have your say, click here.



This article was originally published in the UK Times Online:

"A two-year-old boy is chained to a lamppost outside a shopping centre in Beijing because his parents fear that he will be abducted.

"Passers-by spotted the child tied to the post while his father, a pedicab driver, tried to find passengers and his mother collected rubbish.

"The child’s father, Chen Chuanliu, said that he was forced to lock his son up to protect him from being stolen and because he could not afford childcare.

"Mr Chen said that a few weeks ago his four-year-old daughter had been abducted.

"With nobody available to help to look after his son, Mr Chen said: 'To chain him is better than losing him.'"