By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 10:30 EST, 13 December 2013 | UPDATED: 20:45 EST, 13 December 2013 Covered in bruises, his skin red and smarting, this  sobbing eight-year-old has just been stripped to his underwear, tied to a tree and beaten by his father. If that wasn’t shocking enough, many in the sizeable crowd that gathered around applauded as the father lashed him with a stick. The boy from Nanchong in Sichuan province, south-west China, skipped classes after receiving the equivalent of £10 from his father. He had also reportedly failed to return on time earlier in the week. After driving around the city in search of his son, the father caught him near a market and exacted his punishment.
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It is legal and common practice for parents to beat their children in China
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Nearly half of girls and three fifths of boys report mild corporal punishment
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Fewer, but still significant numbers, report suffering severe beatings
This case from @placeholder undoubtedly falls into that latter category.