Yunnan authorities say no abuse found in viral case of child filmed crawling naked at service station

HONG KONG, Nov 11 — Chinese government authorities said today that a family whose three-year-old son had been photographed crawling naked at a vehicle service station off an expressway in the southwestern province of Sichuan had been cleared of any wrongdoing.

China’s Yunnan government issued a statement on its official WeChat page, outlining the steps taken after three-year-old Pingping was first spotted scampering naked on all fours, imitating a dog, on October 15, along with his younger brother.

A joint working group was set up by authorities to investigate the family and staff spent more than two weeks with them to observe daily behaviour. Authorities said they concluded the parents did not abuse their children and all were mentally and physically healthy.

The case has attracted widespread attention on social media, and was the top trending item on China’s Weibo platform today.

Responding to online criticism that the family did not dress their child, the father surnamed Li said in the government statement that Pingping has eczema and didn’t like wearing clothes when the weather is warm.

Pingping has had limited interactions with other children and his main playmate is the family’s pet dog, Li said, adding that he and his wife did not “interfere” with the child’s behaviour, and let him play as he wished.

The couple own a guesthouse in Dali, Yunnan province, and had not registered their sons with the relevant authorities, the government said.

Li said that their parenting methods have “clashed significantly with public perception” and that they were “continuously reinforcing our children’s dressing and walking habits to lay a solid foundation for their integration into school life.”

“We have the confidence and ability to raise and educate the child well, and we hope this public outcry will subside as soon as possible,” Li said.

The parents’ behaviour was widely criticised online in China, with hundreds posting on Weibo and calling for further monitoring.

“Treating a child like a dog and not dressing them in the dead of winter…I don’t believe it,” said one user.

“I believe the official investigation but I don’t understand the parents’ actions,” said another. — Reuters