August 30th 2024.
The two women were determined to keep the young girl inside the bathroom until she stopped crying. Despite criticism from others, one of the women defended their actions, stating that it was important for children to have rules and boundaries. In a video that went viral, the child was seen being told, "Don't cry! Shut your mouth!" It was also made clear that the child would not be allowed to leave the bathroom even if she made any noise. The girl's grandmother was not allowed to enter the bathroom and was forced to wait outside the door, according to Chinese news outlet Dayoo.
However, the clip did not receive the positive attention that the women may have hoped for. One user on the popular Chinese social media network, Weibo, wrote, "Children at the age of one or two cannot control their emotions. What is wrong with crying? Did you not cry when you were young?" Another added, "Instead of punishing children for crying, we should be thinking about how public spaces can be more accommodating for young children."
Juneyao Airlines, the airline involved in the incident, stated that they spoke with the girl's mother as part of their investigation. The mother reportedly "expressed understanding" towards the actions of the two strangers. The airline also clarified that the child's grandmother had given consent for the two women to take the child to the bathroom for discipline, while she waited outside the door.
In a statement released on Monday, Juneyao Airlines stated, "In order to avoid disturbing other passengers' rest, with the consent of the grandmother, two passengers took the child to the bathroom for discipline. The grandmother accompanied the child and waited outside the door." The airline also expressed their commitment to creating a comfortable travel experience for all passengers and thanked the public for their concern and attention towards the incident.
According to police, the girl was traveling with her grandparents to visit her father in Shanghai. The grandparents had been asking other passengers for help in calming the child down. After further investigation, it was determined that there was no major issue with the child's behavior and the police stated that the incident was resolved.
In China, there has been a recent shift in the government's policies regarding the number of children couples can have. While the one-child policy was strictly enforced for decades, it was loosened in 2016 and officials are now encouraging people to have more children to combat the country's shrinking and aging population. However, there are still concerns that this shift may not result in an immediate increase in births, with some even stating that the country is "overrun with screaming, crying 'bear kids'."
The term "bear kids" or "xionghaizi" has been used to describe spoiled and misbehaving children in public spaces. This has led to a growing trend of "child hatred" in China, as described by Zabou News. Last year, there was a case where train staff made a family with an eight-month-old baby move to the dining car after receiving complaints from other passengers about the baby's babbling. In a survey conducted in Nanjing, over 90% of respondents expressed support for the idea of having designated children's carriages on trains.
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