Father held on child abuse after merciless beating video goes viral

A 31-year-old man was arrested for child abuse after a video of him beating his four-year-old son with a clothes hanger went viral.

When the video begins, the two appear to be having a heated discussion in their home. The father, shown squatting on the floor in front of his son, was wielding a hanger while demanding that the boy "stand up."

The video then cut to a scene in which the father is seen whipping the boy's back with the hanger while the latter screamed.

During the beating, the man was heard cursing and saying he's "never had a son like this."

The boy eventually struggled onto his back and put his palms together to plead for mercy.

After the video drew controversy online, the father was arrested in Yuen Long on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, his son was sent to Tuen Mun Hospital where he is listed as being in stable condition.

Sources acquainted with the child's mother revealed that physical abuse is commonly inflicted on the boy, adding his parents are divorced.

One psychologist, Victor Ching Wai-keung, weighed in on the matter. He commented that the father's behavior constitutes abuse and not merely physical punishment.

If the boy is subjected to such violence over a long period of time, Ching said, he will likely develop mental illnesses.

He went on to advise the mother - who is reportedly fighting for the boy's custody - to take care of her son and be mindful of any self-harming or regressive behaviors.

The use of violence as a means of punishment is not only abusive but ineffective, Ching said, adding it only leads to children misbehaving when their parents are absent.