A father’s outburst during a homework tutoring session in Wenzhou, China resulted in his young son being hospitalised after being struck by a pomegranate which ruptured the boy’s spleen.
The incident has since sparked discussions online about the importance of patience and avoiding violence when parenting.
According to Wenzhou Urban Daily, Chen, who was helping his son Liangliang with homework while his wife worked overtime, lost his temper over a maths problem and threw a pomegranate at him, striking his abdomen.
Though there were no immediate signs of serious injury, Liangliang complained of severe abdominal pain the next day and was diagnosed with a ruptured spleen, a potentially life-threatening condition.
In China, causing serious injury due to negligence can potentially result in up to three years of imprisonment.
Lawyer He Bo told the South China Morning Post that even if victims do not report domestic violence, “relevant organisations or individuals” who witnessed such behaviour have a legal duty to notify authorities.
“Everyone is equal before the law, regardless of the relationship between family members. Domestic violence is prohibited,“ he said.
Parental homework tutoring is a common practice in China, with a 2020 survey showing primary school parents spending over seven hours per week on it and over half of students reported feeling constrained by such tutoring sessions.
Unfortunately, emotionally-charged homework sessions have led to other incidents of violence in China, including a mother fracturing her toe after kicking a wall out of frustration and a father dislocating his jaw while tutoring his daughter.
